Nobody's Child
by Detective Olivia Stabler
Summary: When a child is left on Elliot's doorstep in the middle of the night, he calls the only person he knows will help. But as the details of the baby's identity are uncovered, Elliot is faced with one of the hardest decisions he will ever have to make. AU/EO
1. 1 The Gift

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter One: The Gift)_

It had been a long week with very little sleep and Olivia was more than relieved to be heading home a little early tonight. A hot bath and a glass of red wine later she was passed out on the sofa in front of the television.

It was near three o'clock in the morning when her cell phone rang. Olivia opened her eyes and raised up to look around the dimly lit room.

"What the hell," she mumbled squinting to look at her watch. "Benson," she whispered as she cleared her throat.

"Liv, I know it's late, but I need your help."

"Elliot, what in the world is going on? Did Cragen call you about the case?"

"No. It's something else. Look it's important, kind of an emergency and I don't know what to do."

"What is it?"

"I really can't talk about this over the phone, can you just come over here? Please?"

"El, I….we have to be at work in three hours."

"Olivia, please?"

"Alright, I'm on my way."

She groaned as she hung up the phone and yawned.

"Well, it was good while it lasted," she said aloud as she sat up and went in search of her car keys.

Twenty minutes later Olivia climbed off the elevator on Elliot's floor. She walked to his door and reached to ring the bell as the door flew open.

"Thank God you're here," Elliot said as he pulled her inside and closed the door behind her. "I don't know what to do."

"Elliot, what is going on?" she asked looking around the seemingly empty apartment. "Where is your big emergency?"

"There," he said pointing to a basket on the end of the couch.

"There?" she asked confused as she stepped forward to inspect it.

Olivia walked to the basket and pulled back the blanket inside. There bundled in white receiving blanket was a tiny infant.

"It's a baby!" she said looking back at him in disbelief.

"What, were you expecting a dog?"

"Where did it come from, Elliot?"

"You know the old baby left in a basket on the doorstep story? It was kind of like that."

"Kind of?"

"Munch and I went out for drinks after work. When I got home that basket was sitting in front of my door."

"Do you have any idea who put it there?"

"I called down to the front desk and they don't remember seeing anyone come in. And the security cameras have been down all week. All I can think is someone who knows I work SVU, thought I would know what to do with the kid."

"Is there a note in the basket?"

"I didn't look. It was sleeping and I didn't want to wake it. All I did was pull back the blanket, once I saw what was inside I tucked the blanket back around it and left it alone."

"Elliot, _it_ is a child. A baby, a he or a she. Not an _it_. You didn't even bother to look to see the sex?"

"Why on earth would I?"

Olivia moved the top blanket again as the baby began to stir. The child opened it's little eyes and looked up at them as a soft pout formed on it's face. She tipped her head to stare at the baby as a whimper began to emerge from the tiny bundle.

"What does it want?" Elliot asked.

"To be picked up," she replied looking back at him.

"_You_ pick it up," he said pointing to the baby.

"It's isn't a bomb, Elliot. It isn't like it will explode if you touch it."

She slipped her hands under the soft white blanket and picked up the baby as it grunted and stared at her.

"There now, that wasn't so bad," she cooed to the baby. "What's under the blanket?" she asked with a nod as Elliot pulled out the blanket that had been placed under the baby.

"A couple of diapers, part of a can of formula, a bottle and an envelope."

"Maybe that says who's baby this is," Olivia suggested as the baby began to cry.

"And why they dumped it on me," Elliot said folding back the little metal tab on the manila envelope.

"Elliot, the baby is crying. We should take care of that first."

"How do we make it stop?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should change the diaper."

"How do we do that?"

"Umm…." Olivia held the now screaming infant out away from her body as frantically searched the room. "We'll use the coffee table. Get a towel."

"A towel?"

"Unless you would rather whatever is inside this diaper leak out all over your table."

"Getting a towel," he said moving down the hall to the bathroom.

"Grab a warm wet wash cloth too," she called to him. "It's alright, its alright. Shhh, it's okay. You don't have to cry," she said softly bouncing the baby as it continued to cry.

Elliot returned and laid out the bath towel on the coffee table as Olivia laid the baby down.

"What's the washcloth for?"

"Incase there is poop."

"Oh, this is bad," Elliot replied as his partner unsnapped the white sleeper to free the baby's legs.

"Get the new diaper ready. If it is a boy, they pee everywhere when you take the diaper off."

Elliot looked confused as he studied the diaper.

"El, I have a screaming child here in case you haven't noticed."

"Both sides look the same."

"What?"

"Which way is up? Both sides look the same," he said showing her the diaper.

"I would think that the side with the little bears would be the front."

"There are bears on the other side, too."

"We will just have to pay attention to how we take this one off so we know how to put the new one on." She moved her fingertips up and pulled back the little pieces of tape on the sides of the diaper. "The part with the tape is in the back," she said watching as he laid out the diaper.

"Okay, on my count raise up the baby and I'll pull that one out and put the dry on in. We will just have to pray nothing gross comes out."

"Maybe you should check first to see if there is anything to fall out."

"Look for poop, you mean?"

"That is exactly what I mean. Just peek in the side."

"No way! You peek in the side!"

Olivia laughed as the baby cried so hard it's little face turned red.

"Alright, I'll look," she agreed.

Elliot smiled.

"One….two….three," he counted with a mischievous grin.

He watched his partner's face as she leaned forward to look into the diaper.

"No poop! And…." she said pausing for a moment.

"And?"

"It's a girl," she announced with a smile.

"Maybe I should leave you two alone."

"You are not getting out of this that easily, Stabler! This kid was left on your doorstep, not mine!"

"Olivia, I can't clean a _girl_ baby. It's inappropriate!"

She laughed.

"You don't think there are hundreds of men in this country that have changed the diaper of a _girl_ baby?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'll life up the baby and pull the wet diaper out. All you have to do is slip the dry one back in."

"Sounds easy enough."

Olivia nodded to him then raised up the baby, pulling away the wet diaper. She wiped the baby over with the wet wash cloth and fastened the sticky tape on the sides of the fresh diaper.

"There," she cooed as she snapped the sleeper back up and held the little girl against her collar bone to try and soothe her. "You should fix her a bottle. The poor little thing is probably starving."

"Right," Elliot said moving to the kitchen with the empty bottle and can of formula.

Olivia paced the floor with the baby as Elliot studied the instructions on the back of the can.

"I think I've got this," he said warming some water in the microwave.

Olivia watched as he mixed a couple of scoops of the powder with the water and put the nipple back on the bottle.

"Can you do this part?" he asked offering her the bottle. "Babies make me nervous."

"I'm a little nervous too," she replied taking the bottle from him.

Olivia exhaled and sat down on the couch. She cradled the little girl in her arms and offered her the bottle. The baby fussed for a few moments, then accepter the nipple into her mouth. She whimpered softly as she drank the formula so quickly Olivia thought she might choke.

"Slow down, sweetheart. It is all yours. No one is gonna take it from you. Take your time, it isn't ladylike to eat so fast."

Elliot smiled watching her with the infant. He sat in the chair across the room and picked up the manila envelope. He exhaled as he opened it and slid out a stack of papers.

"There's a letter," he said as Olivia looked up at him.

"What does it say?"

"The baby's mother was killed in a car accident last week."

"Poor little thing," Olivia said looking down at the baby in her arms.

"She was left with some friends of the mother, but they are unable to care for her. So they are leaving her with me."

"Why you?" Olivia asked looking back up at him.

Elliot was quiet for a moment, then he looked up at his partner.

"Because….I am her father," he said as Olivia's jaw dropped.


	2. 2 Little Girl Lost

_**Author's Note: **_

_**I would like to clear up a few things that seem to have everyone a bit confused. This story IS infact an AU/EO story. There WILL eventually be EO romance and/or smut, lol. Also, Elliot is NOT married in this story and has no other children. I guess I should have mentioned that earlier, but I got wrapped up in writing the story. (And the summary box does not allow enough letters to let me write all of what I want to say.) I hope this clarifies things and I am sorry for the confusion. Thank you guys for all of the reviews! Everyone have a SAFE and HAPPY HOLIDAY! **_

_**~Detective Olivia Stabler ~**_

_**Now, On With The Story….**_

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Two: Little Girl Lost)_

Olivia set the bottle on the table and raised the little girl to her shoulder, as she did the baby burped.

"My goodness," she said looking down into the soft blue eyes of the infant as she smiled. "But you feel better now, don't you?"

The baby blinked her heavy eyes and stirred a little as she fell back to sleep.

"I guess congratulations are in order," Olivia said looking up at Elliot as he read through the papers once again. "She is beautiful, daddy."

"Don't call me that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to strike a chord. You are the one who just said this was your child."

"That is what the letter says."

"Does it say who her mother was?"

"Kathy."

Olivia looked up at him.

"As in….your ex-wife Kathy?"

"Yes."

"Kathy's dead," Olivia said looking down at the baby girl.

"According to the birth certificate the baby is just over a month old."

"You and Kathy have been divorced for almost a year. You were only married a few months."

"Six months," he corrected her. "She couldn't handle the job. The hours and the silence."

"Silence?"

"I couldn't come home after a day like we have every day and talk about it with her. I guess I was trying to shelter her from the horrible things we see."

"I can't say that I blame you."

"And after one too many nights of sleeping alone, she left me. After the divorce….we didn't really keep in touch. She wanted to go off to nursing school."

"Still, you have been divorced over a year. If she was pregnant, wouldn't you have known?"

"I was hardly ever around. She is four and a half weeks old," he said nodding in the direction of the sleeping infant, "she could still be mine. If Kathy found out she was pregnant after the divorce…."

"And she never told you?"

"Maybe she was scared. I don't know."

"Maybe she was," Olivia agreed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Elliot, is there any way she would have said you were the father of her child….even if you weren't?"

"No. If Kathy said she is mine…. I have a daughter."

"What is her name?" Olivia asked.

Elliot flipped through the papers and studied the birth certificate for a moment.

"Maureen Allison Stabler," he read aloud. "She gave her my name."

"Maureen sounds kind of old for a newborn."

"I don't really care much for it, myself. But her mother named her."

"You could change it. Or give her a nickname," Olivia said offering him the baby.

"Liv, I can't."

"She is your daughter, Elliot. And until this moment, you have barely even touched her. She doesn't bite. And she is sound asleep, so maybe now is the best time to get comfortable holding her."

"I guess so," he said as she laid the baby in his arms.

"See now, that isn't so bad."

Elliot smiled.

"She is awfully cute. God, what am I saying Olivia? I can't care for a kid. I can't even keep a wife."

"Well, no matter what you decide to do, she is your's for tonight. And no matter what you decide, she still needs a name."

"Nickname?"

Olivia smiled as she sat down on the couch and looked over the stack of papers.

"Maureen Allison….maybe you could call her Allison. Or Allie."

"Allie?"

"It's cute."

"Allie," Elliot repeated looking down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "I think I like that. So, now what?"

"It is almost five," Olivia replied checking her watch.

She laid back on the couch and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Catching a nap before work. I suggest you do the same."

"Sleep? Now?"

"Babies don't sleep all night, Elliot. Allie will be awake soon wanting to be fed or changed or something and she can't be reasoned with."

"Olivia, what am I supposed to go with a baby?"

She raised up onto her elbow to look at him.

"Put her back in the basket for now and let her sleep. You should get some rest, too. We'll figure it all out. Right now I think we all need some sleep. The alarm on my phone is set, when she wakes up make her another bottle and check to see if she is wet. We will call Cragen later and work something out."

"I don't even know the first step to take to fix this."

"Fix what exactly? Someone placed your child into your care. Someone wanted you to know that you have a daughter."

"I am not fit to raise a daughter, Olivia. Look at her, she is so perfect. I know nothing about babies or kids or little girls….I will only screw her up. My child or not, she deserves so much more than what I have to offer," he said tucking the tiny baby back into the basket and pulling the blanket up around her.

"You are not giving yourself enough credit. You should get some rest," she said softly.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Liv, why don't you take the bed. And I'll sleep in here with the baby."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think we will be okay for a few hours."

"Alright then," she said with a soft smile. "Good night, El."

"Good night, Olivia."

"Good night Allie," she whispered peering down at the little bundle in the basket once more.

Olivia yawned as she stood up and headed toward the bedroom.

Olivia stretched as she reached across the bed and shut off the alarm on her cell phone. She looked at the window across the room as the sun began to peek between the blinds.

"Ugg," she said aloud as she dialed work.

Minutes later she tiptoed down the hallway and into the living room. Elliot was passed out on the couch with little Allie in her basket on the coffee table beside him.

"Good morning angel," Olivia whispered as the prettiest pair of blue eyes stared up at her. "Why don't you come in the kitchen and help me make us all some breakfast?" she asked the little girl.

Olivia picked up the basket and carried it in to the kitchen. She sat it on the counter and started a pot of coffee.

"Now your turn," she said washing out the baby bottle and filling it with warm water.

She put the water into the microwave to warm it while she read the instructions on the back of the formula can.

"It doesn't sound that hard," Olivia said as the little girl stared up at her. "Okay, kiddo. Here we go."

Olivia picked up the baby cradling her in one arm as she offered her the bottle. Allie, willingly accepted it.

"Huh," Olivia noted. "My cooking skills suck, but apparently I make a mean bottle. You are so cute," she said smoothing her finger over the little girl's soft cheek.

"Hey," Elliot said from the other room.

"Hey," Olivia replied.

"We must have over slept."

"No, I decided to let you sleep in. Allie and I made breakfast," she said pointing to the pot of fresh coffee.

"Olivia, don't get too attached."

"I'm not. I'm just feeding her. She had to eat, Elliot."

"I can't keep her, Liv."

"I know."

"Alright. I just don't think it is a good idea to get too emotionally attached to her."

"So, you have for sure decided you aren't going to keep her?"

"It isn't as if it were ever really an option. I live in a tiny apartment, I work all hours and I don't know the first thing about taking care of a baby."

"You know how to make a bottle. And you can….kind of change a diaper."

"Where would she sleep? There is only one bedroom."

"I get it. I understand."

"We should get ready for work."

"I called Cragen and told him…."

"You told him?" he interrupted.

"I told him there was a family emergency and we would be coming in a little late today."

"Liv, you don't have any family."

She stared at him for a moment.

"You are my family. And you are the one who called this an emergency."

"What else would you call it?"

Olivia looked down at Allie, then back up at Elliot.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked.

"Call someone to take her back. Leaving a baby with me was a huge mistake. I just have to figure out who to call."

"Kathy didn't have any family at all?"

"Her parents died years ago. She had a brother, but they didn't get along."

"Do you think he would take her?"

"He would be a worse parent than I would."

"There has to be someone."

"The only person Kathy was close to was her friend Julie. They had known each other since they were kids and was the maid of honor at our wedding. If you call signing a few papers in front of a judge a wedding. I even managed to screw that up."

"Focus, El. How can we find Julie?"

"My guess is Julie is the one who left Allie in front of my door."

"She would do that? Just dump her dead friend's newborn?"

"Kathy wouldn't have left the baby with anyone else. It had to be Julie."

"So Julie is out and you can't keep her. You could call child services and tell them someone left a baby on your doorstep."

"I don't want to just dump her in the system, Liv. She's my daughter."

"I guess I didn't think that one through. That pretty much just leaves adoption. We could call an agency and make arrangements through them."

"I just want to make sure she is well taken care of."

"You can talk to them and they can help you pick a family for her."

Elliot exhaled as he took the baby from Olivia.

"I hate that it has come to this. I kind of feel like I am just dumping her. How do I know what's right?"

"You really don't. Maybe you should just think about it for a little while."

"Think about what? This is really the only option."

Olivia pulled the phone book from the desk drawer across the room and began to flip through pages.

"I didn't realize there were so many listings under adoption," she said as she ran her finger down the third of five pages. "Any idea who you want to use?"

"I don't think it matters as long as they are legit."

"Here, this place has a full page add," she said turning the book so he could see it.

"Pregnant and scared?" Elliot read the bold lettering across the top of the add. "No and no. I'm not sure if this is really what we are looking for, Liv."

"It is an adoption agency. And if they can't help, maybe they can refer us to someone who can," she said as she dialed the number and handed him the phone.

Olivia sat at the counter biting her nail bits nervously as Elliot paced the room with his sleeping daughter in one arm and the phone against his shoulder. He spoke to the woman on the other end of the line for over forty minutes as he told her the peculiar detail of his situation and hoped that somehow this woman could assist him.

Finally Elliot hung up the phone and laid the baby back into her basket.

"Well, what did she say?"

"She said that if I am the birth father and the mother is dead, as long as my name is on the birth certificate I can choose to sign her over for adoption."

"That's good."

"She said they have dozens of couples wanting to adopt. Most people want little babies, so it shouldn't take long to find someone for her."

"Did she say when to bring her in?"

"I have to have an appointment. And the earliest one is tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow afternoon?"

"What am I going to do with her for the next," Elliot tipped his arm to study his watch, "twenty nine and a half hours?"

"Take care of her, I guess. And my first suggestion would be a trip to the store."

"What for? I am turning her over to them tomorrow."

"For one, there isn't enough formula left in that can to make another bottle. When she wakes up and realizes there is no food you are going to be in trouble. And we only have one more diaper."

"Right," he agreed.

"And she needs a few things."

"Like what?"

"Well, she has been wearing the same sleeper since yesterday. And she can't keep sleeping in that basket."

"It is one more night."

"At least get her a car seat. She is going to need that anyway. And wipes would be good, too."

"I should write this down."

After Elliot made his list they picked up the baby and headed to the store. Elliot held his baby girl protectively in his arms the entire cab ride to the children's store across town. When they arrived, Olivia jumped out of the car and went around to open Elliot's door. He handed the baby off to her to climb out of the car and they went inside.

"I never realized how much stuff they sold for babies," he said as they walked through aisle after aisle of infant supplies. "How do we know what to get?"

"Excuse me," Olivia said catching the attention of a sales clerk.

"How can I help you?" the young man asked.

"We need baby formula," she said nervously.

"Aisle five. This way," he said as they followed him into an aisle full of nothing but baby food and formula.

"There must be a hundred different kinds," Elliot said as he stared at the shelf.

"How do we know what to get?" Olivia asked the boy.

"We have formulas with DHA and ARA."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other confused.

"They are supplements for brain development and stuff like that."

"We want her to be smart," Elliot said. "We'll take that."

"Sir, all of these brands right here have that. What kind of formula has the baby been on?"

"It's a blue can," he said. "With a bear."

"A bear?" this way.

"El, it is a bunny."

"Was it a bunny or a bear?" the kid asked looking at Olivia.

Elliot shrugged his shoulders.

"What is the difference?" he asked.

"They are two different brands. With a baby this little changing formula brands can cause all kinds of tummy issues."

"It was a bunny," Olivia insisted.

"Are you sure?" Elliot asked her.

"I'm sure. It was definitely a bunny."

"Enfamil," the clerk said. "Did it look like this?"

"Yes! That is it," Olivia said handing the can to Elliot to put in the basket. "Now we need diapers."

"What size?"

"This size," she said holding up the last diaper from her purse.

The kid smiled.

"How old is the baby, ma'am?"

"Four and a half weeks," Elliot announced happy they guy had finally asked a question he could answer.

"Do you have any idea about how much he weighs?"

"_She _weighs about seven and a half pounds," Elliot replied.

"She would be a size one. And with diapers, the brand is really up to you. If you don't like what you have it is alright to change the brand to something else. These are pretty popular. They are moderately priced and protect against leaks."

"That sounds good. We want the ones that don't leak," Elliot said and Olivia laughed. "What size wipes do we need?"

"Elliot, wipes don't have sizes."

"Oh. These say sensitive. She looks like she probably has sensitive skin," Elliot replied putting the wipes in the basket as well. "I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"Baby wash," Olivia said picking up a bottle and tossing it in. "And lotion. We need to give her a bath."

"Do you need a baby bath tub?" the kid asked.

"She can't just use the regular one?" Elliot asked.

"Some people use the sink. And some people get the baby bath tub. You can set it down inside the regular bath tub or on the counter and put water in it."

Elliot looked at Olivia for approval.

"We are only giving her one bath. I think we can just use the sink."

"Good call. But we do need outfits and a car seat."

By the time they returned to Elliot's apartment, they had purchased not only formula, diapers and a little pink car seat, but four outfits, a package of sleepers, a couple more blankets, more bottles, bibs, a pink polka dot diaper bag and a little pink puppy dog that played music.

"I think maybe we went a little overboard," Olivia said as Elliot laid the last of the baby clothes into a pile.

"But it is all stuff she needs. We can sent it with her when she goes to her new home."

"And this?" Olivia asked holding up the one item Elliot picked out all by himself.

"I got her the puppy so she won't be lonely," he said taking it from Olivia and winding it to start the music as he placed it in the seat beside the baby. "And this way she will have something from her daddy to take with her."

Olivia smiled choking back tears.

"That's sweet, El."

"I'm not completely heartless."

"I never thought for a second that you were," she said patting his shoulder.

"I'm going to run a little warm water in the sink for her bath. You grab a couple of towels."

Olivia got out the baby wash and lotion, while Elliot grabbed a wash cloth and a few towels to dry Allie with.

"Okay, baby doll. Here we go," Olivia said as she lowered the naked infant into the sink.

"No peeing in the bath water," Elliot said to his daughter.

The baby made a pouty face, but she didn't cry. They quickly washed and dried her off. After putting on a fresh diaper, Elliot moved to make up a bottle while Olivia smoothed baby lotion over the little girl and put her into one of her new outfits.

"There," Olivia cooed to Allie as she finished buttoning her little pink dress. "Oh, Elliot, look how sweet this is," she said turning the little girl around for him to see.

Elliot smiled and screwed the lid on the baby bottle.

"Do you want to feed her?"

"Sure."

"Then we can try to lay her down for a nap and fix us some lunch."

"What are we going to do with her this afternoon while we're at work?"

"I'm hoping if we feed her and change her before we go, she will just sleep in the carrier the whole time we're there."

"I wonder what Cragen is going to say when you walk in there with a baby."

"It is only a few hours. And after tomorrow, he won't have to worry about it anymore."

After lunch Olivia packed the new diaper bag and loaded up baby Allie as they headed in to work. Everyone looked up and stared as they walked in and she sat the carrier on the edge of her desk.

"You babysitting?" Munch asked venturing over to look down at the sleeping infant.

"Something like that," Olivia replied pulling the blanket back away from Allie's little face.

"She's cute."

"Who's kid?" Fin asked as he joined the small crowd gathering around Olivia's desk.

"Umm," she looked up at Elliot and decided some things were better left unsaid. "She belongs to a friend of mine. They had an emergency and I've got the baby for a little while."

"She's a doll," Fin said smiling down at her. "What's her name?"

"Allie."

"Allie, that's sweet," Munch said.

"I hope Cragen thinks so too," Fin said as their boss walked over and looked down into the carrier. "Can I see the two of you in my office, please?" he asked looking at Elliot and Olivia.

"Go ahead," Fin said. "I can keep an eye on her."

Olivia grabbed the file off her desk and they headed for Cragen's office. Inside, Elliot seated himself on the sofa while Olivia took a seat in the chair across from their boss.

"Do you have the report on this case?"

"Right here," Olivia said handing him the file. "I finished it last night. And the two of you will be ready for court the day after tomorrow?"

"We will," Elliot agreed.

"What is this family emergency?" he asked Olivia. "Is everything alright."

"We're working it out."

"Oh, you're involved as well?" he asked Elliot.

"Actually, it is my emergency."

Cragen stood up and walked to the office window opening the blinds to look out at Fin watching over the sleeping baby.

"That is your emergency?"

"Yes."

"Has Kathy come back, too?"

"No. Actually, she was killed in an accident and I was left with the baby."

"You never mentioned you had a kid."

"I never knew I had a kid. Not until about two thirty this morning when someone left her in a basket in the hallway in front of my apartment."

"You can't keep her here. This isn't a daycare center."

"I have an appointment with an agency tomorrow. It was the earliest they could get me in. I just brought her in for the few hours we need to get our paperwork finished and organize things for court."

"So you need tomorrow off to take care of this?"

"That would be nice."

"Take it. But I want you back in here and ready to go for court on Thursday morning."

"I will be."

Cragen opened the door as Elliot stood up and walked back out to check on his daughter.

"Olivia?"

"Yes?"

Cragen paused for a moment watching Elliot with the baby.

"Why don't you take tomorrow off as well? I'm sure he could use a little support."

"Thank you," she said softly, then turned to leave the office.

After work Elliot and Olivia sat around his apartment eating Chinese food. Olivia finished giving Allie her bottle and got her ready for bed.

"There we go," she cooed to the baby holding her up to look into her tired eyes, "a full tummy and a fresh diaper. Now you are ready for some sleep. Aren't you?" she asked lowering Allie and kissing her little forehead.

"I saw that," Elliot said shooting her a look from across the room.

"One little kiss isn't going to ruin her. Babies need affection, it's part of human nature."

"I warned you about this. You are getting attached to her," he said in a scolding tone as he took another bite from his paper carton.

Olivia shook her head in disagreement and he watched as she walked around the room gently patting Allie on the back until she had fallen asleep. She laid the baby gently into her carrier and tucked the little pink blanket around her.

"Have you ever thought about it?" Olivia asked sitting beside him at the bar and taking a sip from her beer.

"Eating Chinese food? At least twice a day, every day," he joked. "They have the best chicken lo mein."

"Not eating Chinese food. I'm being serious."

"What then?"

"Having kids? Have you ever considered it?"

"Kathy and I talked about it when we were first married. But after we split up…. I guess I figured some day when I met someone and married again I might have a couple of kids. I never thought it would be like this. I'm just not prepared now, Liv. She's just a baby and she deserves so much more. She needs a family, a mother and a father to love her."

Olivia smiled.

"I think you're a good father," she said rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm a joke."

"El, you have handled this the best way you knew how. Most people would have just got rid of her the quickest way they could, dumped her off at a hospital and been fine with that. But you have taken care of her."

"She's my baby. I am her father. And I owe it to her to make this right."

"I know this is difficult for you. This entire situation has been difficult on you. You may not have planned on having this baby, but that doesn't make giving her away any easier."

"Are you trying to talk me into keeping her? This little girl is barely a month old and she has already lost her mother. I'm unfit. Look around you, this place it a dump."

"No. I'm just saying that it is understandable to be torn about the decision. Or be curious about the way things would turn out."

"What makes you think that I have even considered keeping her?"

"Because I know you. You may be all tough guy on the outside Elliot, but inside you have a heart. A big heart and this whole time you have been warning me about getting attached to Allie…."

"It wasn't you I was worried about. How do I do this, Olivia? Just hand my kid over to complete strangers to raise. How can I just pass her off and never look back?"

"You are doing it because you love her. I know that."

"Yeah, I just hope that some day she can understand that, too."

"Well, I'm here if you need to talk or however I can help. It's late, we should try to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. Do you want me to take the night shift tonight?"

"No, I've got her. I should probably spend as much time as I can with her now. After tomorrow, I won't be her father anymore."

"Goodnight, El."

"Good night, Liv."

Elliot watched as she headed down the hall toward the bedroom. He finished his beer and put away the leftover food, then turned to look at his sleeping daughter in her little pink carrier.

He exhaled softly as he carried the seat across the room to the coffee table beside the sofa and sat her down. He pulled back her blanket and buckled her into the seat before tucking the blanket securely back around the little girl. He watched her sleep for a few moments as he felt the knot in his throat and tears rising in his eyes.

"Please forgive me, sweetheart. I'm not doing this because I don't love you, God knows I do. But I can't give you the life you deserve. You need a mommy and a daddy to take care of you. And they will love you and take really good care of you. I just don't know what else to do, honey."

He exhaled and wiped away a tear as he leaned forward and kissed his baby girl's forehead.

"Sleep tight little angel. Daddy loves you," he whispered as he turned off the light and laid back on the couch.


	3. 3 Listen To Your Heart

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Three: Listen To Your Heart)_

Olivia sat Allie's carrier in the chair beside the door and watched as Elliot sat in front of the desk to talk to the woman.

"There is some paperwork I will need you to fill out," she said as she opened the file cabinet and dropped a stack of papers on her desk.

"Have you found a family for her yet?" Elliot asked.

"I think I have found the perfect couple. Originally they wanted a baby boy, but they have been waiting so long I don't think that the sex of the child really matters to them anymore."

"What's wrong with them?" Olivia asked from across the room.

The woman looked up at her then back at Elliot.

"Well, nothing is _wrong_ with them. I assure you they have passed all of our inspections and background tests with flying colors. They just have not been chosen by any of the birth parents."

"Can you tell us more about them?" Elliot asked.

"Are you the mother of the child?" the woman asked looking at Olivia.

"No," she answered.

"We usually only release the details of the adopted family to the guardians of the child."

"She's a close friend. I want her here."

The woman stared at Olivia with a very disapproving look on her face.

"Or I guess I could just use another agency," Elliot suggested standing to go.

"She can stay. But it is important that you understand this is a decision is yours and yours alone."

"I understand. But this is also the hardest thing I will ever do. This is my daughter we are talking about. It isn't like I am giving away my dog because I can't care for him anymore. This is my child."

Elliot exhaled and the room was quiet for a moment. The woman laid a scrap book on her desk and slid it over to Elliot.

"We ask each of our couples to create a book. To show to the birth parents, to help you understand what kind of people they are and how they will be raising the child."

Elliot slid the book closer to him and stared at the picture of the couple on the cover.

"They look happy," he said.

"The only think missing in their lives is a baby."

"Tell me more about them."

"They live in New York. I'm not allowed to disclose where, but they own a large home and property. She will have a yard to play in and plenty of fresh air. They are a successful couple who have the money to provide a child with everything they could ever want or need. She would have a fairy tale life."

"You said they wanted a boy. Won't they be disappointed?"

"Not at all. I called the couple yesterday and told them that I may have a baby for them. I explained that the child was infact female and they seemed thrilled."

"You said they are successful, what do they do?"

"The wife, Melissa, is a pediatric surgeon and her husband, Jim, is a fire fighter."

"What do you think?" Elliot asked turning to look at Olivia.

She looked down at Allie asleep in the carrier and tucked the blanket around her, then moved to Elliot's side to look through the pictures in the book.

"I don't know El," she said softly. "It is really up to you."

The truth was it was killing her to sit here and watch him pick strangers to raise his daughter, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"They seem nice, right?"

"They do," she agreed.

"They do, but what?"

Olivia looked up at him.

"Huh?"

"What's on your mind?"

Olivia was quiet as she looked back at little Allie sleeping peacefully.

"Liv?"

"Well, she's a doctor and he is a fire fighter."

"Yes," the woman said with an annoyed glare.

"They will be working long hours and probably won't be home much. They will both have to be on call a lot. Who is going to be there with her?" she asked looking at Allie.

Elliot looked at his daughter and then back at the woman as if demanding an answer.

"That is a good question. Who will be raising my daughter while her new parents are gone all of the time?"

"We have already discussed this with the couple. They intend to take on a full time nanny, through an approved agency. I assure you the child will be very well take care of."

"Allie," Elliot grunted and Olivia could tell he was getting frustrated.

"Excuse me?" the woman said.

"Her name is Allie. Not _the child_."

"Allie, will be in very good hands."

"I don't know about this," Elliot said standing and walking to the carrier to pick up his baby girl.

"If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them for you."

"How do I know I am doing the right thing?"

"Well…."

"Not you," he said cutting the woman off. "You," he said softly looking at Olivia. "Liv, how can I be sure that this is what is best for her?"

"I'm not sure you can. You just have to listen to your heart. And it will tell you what is best for Allie."

"By choosing adoption you are allowing your child to grow up in a two parent home. You said yourself that there were things you wanted for this child that you cannot give her. Things that this couple can," the woman behind the desk said to Elliot.

"I didn't mean material things," he clarified.

"You are worried about having second thoughts? I can arrange a meeting with the adoptive parents, if that would make you feel better."

"I just don't know."

Inside, Olivia's heart and her head were begging him not to do it, but she didn't say a word. She knew that this had to be his decision and his alone. She could not influence that decision in any way.

"Have you considered an open adoption? Where you can have visits with the ch….Allie? They would send you pictures and letters to let you know how she is growing. Does this sound like something you would like to do?"

Elliot exhaled and smoothed his hand over his face. He cradled Allie in his arms and walked around the room with her for a few moments. Olivia sat quietly watching him with his daughter and it broke her heart to know the choice he was about to make.

He rocked the little girl gently in his arms and brushed his fingertip over her thin blonde hair. He hugged her and softly kissed the top of her head.

"I don't know anything about being a father," he said as Olivia felt a knot rising in her throat.

She watched as Elliot drew a staggered breath. As he turned around she could see the tears streaming down both sides of his face.

"Neither do they," he said. "But I know eight things about my daughter. I know she likes her diaper changed before she is fed and sometimes she doesn't want a bottle at all, she just wants her pacifier. She takes the formula in the blue can with the bunny on it, not the bear. I know that she wakes up at exactly two, five and seven in the morning to be fed. I know that she has her mother's eyes and when she scrunches up her little nose, she looks just like Kathy. She likes to be sang to when she is scared and if she won't go to sleep, she liked me to hold her on my chest until she falls asleep. And I know she doesn't like to be alone."

Olivia gulped as tears slid down her face, too.

"I know that if I walk out of here with her today and never look back, I won't regret it at all. And I know that if I hand her over and walk away without ever trying, I will regret it every moment for the rest of my life."

"I thought you wanted two parents for your child?" the woman asked still trying to persuade him to sign the little girl over.

"I wanted my child to have two parents, so that she wouldn't be alone when one of them was at work. I considered adoption because of the long hours I work and being on call. But if I hand her over to parents who are always at work, then I might as well have kept her myself."

"Don't you want to do what is best for your daughter?"

"That is exactly what I am doing," he said picking up the carrier with his free hand and kissing his baby's forehead. "I'm sorry I wasted your time. But I just can't give her up," he choked out. "There was a reason that God wanted me to find her. And I just don't think this was it," he said walking out of the room with Olivia right behind him.

She followed him down the steps and to the car. Olivia climbed into the passengers seat as Elliot kissed Allie again and buckled her into the car. As he climbed into the driver's seat of the car and closed the door, he exhaled heavily.

He turned his head and looked at Olivia with tears in her eyes.

"Do you think I made a mistake?" he asked.

"God no," she said softly forcing herself to laugh so she wouldn't cry anymore. "I am so happy right now, I could kiss you."

"You wanted me to keep her?"

Olivia nodded.

"I was really hoping you would. I knew if you gave her up you would regret it, but it would have been too late."

"Why didn't you say something?"

She wiped her cheek with her hand.

"Because you are her father. And it had to be your decision, El. I didn't want to talk you into doing something you were not ready to do."

They stared at each other for a moment.

"I only know eight things about her," he said sounding a bit unsure of himself.

"Eight things that nobody else knew. You haven't even been a father for two whole days, Elliot. I think you are doing pretty good."

"Do you really think I can do this? I mean actually raise this beautiful baby girl and not completely screw her up? I never thought I was cut out to be a parent."

"El, I am living proof that a lot of people who are not cut out to be parents can raise children. I know I am screwed up and I am positive I have suffered permanent damage from being around my drunken mother for so long. But if she could raise a kid and me not turn out to be some psycho killer or something, odds are you will do just fine."

Elliot laughed.

"I hope you're right. And if my daughter grows up to be half the woman you turned out to be, I would be honored. Your mother may have been a screw up, Liv. But look how great you turned out."

Olivia smiled.

"I think keeping Allie is the best thing you could have ever done. I really think that you are going to be a great father, El. You are so good with her already. You're her daddy and she loves you."

"Cragen is gonna kill me."

Olivia laughed.

"He'll get over it. But you will need to find a good daycare for her while you're at work."

"And buy a crib. Where the hell am I going to put a crib? I live in a one bedroom apartment. I guess I will have to take the couch and turn the bedroom into a nursery for Allie."

"You're eventually going to have to get a bigger place, you know? She is only gonna get bigger and you can't sleep on the couch forever."

"You know I am going to be calling you all of the time because I don't know what I am doing with the baby."

Olivia smiled.

"I don't know either," she said hitting his shoulder. "But we can figure it out together."

"You would really help me?"

"Of course I will. And you know, there is a ton of stuff you are going to need since you decided to keep her, right?"

"A baby bath tub?"

Olivia laughed.

"A baby bath tub," she agreed.

"And a video camera," he thought aloud, "I want to record every second with her."

Olivia hugged his shoulder.

"See, two days in and already you are an amazing father. I am so excited!"

"You?"

"Yeah, now I have a little shopping buddy!"

"I'll let you take over the shopping department any time you want to. You are way better at it than I am anyway. And I have a feeling we are going to need a ton of baby clothes."

Olivia smiled.

"Can I say it?"

"Say what?"

She smiled again.

"Congratulations, daddy!"

"Thank you," Elliot said with a proud smile as he put the car into gear and headed home with HIS daughter.


	4. 4 Paternity Leave

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Four: Paternity Leave)_

Elliot filled up his coffee mug as he yawned. Across the room Allie slept peacefully in her carrier.

"How's it going, man?" Fin asked.

"It's good. It's great. We're great," Elliot assured him.

"She keeps you up all night, doesn't she?"

"No, she sleeps all through the night," Elliot lied.

"Really? Then why are you so tired that you haven't noticed you are pouring coffee all over the floor?" Fin asked pointing to the stream of black liquid overflowing the cup, running across the counter and pooling in the floor between his feet.

"Shit!"

Fin shook his head as Elliot grabbed some paper towels and began to clean up the mess he had made.

"Look at her," Elliot said looking back at his infant daughter as she slept, "she is sound asleep now. But she doesn't sleep at night. At all!"

"Babies are like that," Fin said.

"She cries and she cries and she screams and cries some more. I have no idea what to do. I am so afraid that I have made a huge mistake and I am just going to screw her up."

"Relax. All new parents feel that way in the beginning. You'll get the hang of it."

"I think I'm gonna go crazy! She keeps me up all night, then she sleeps all day. When I finally get a moment to sit down she needs fed or changed or burped. And lately she throws up."

"Babies spit up, Elliot. That is normal."

"Not spit up. I mean like projectile vomit. It is really disgusting."

"Did you call the doctor?"

"I don't have a doctor."

"You haven't found a pediatrician?"

"It's on my to do list. Right next to finding a daycare that will take a five week old."

"No luck, huh?"

"Oh Fin, the ones that will are in bad neighborhoods or look rundown and are badly understaffed."

"You have to find someone. You can't keep bringing her to work like this."

Allie opened her little eyes and began to cry.

"Daddy's coming sweetheart," Elliot said rushing to her side.

Fin watched as he pick up the little girl and checked her diaper. Elliot pulled a bottle and the can of formula from the pink diaper bag. He heated some water in the microwave and mixed the baby up a bottle.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of it."

"Alright kiddo," Elliot said offering Allie the bottle, "daddy has got to get some work done."

He sat down at his desk and sat Allie in her carrier. Elliot held her bottle in one hand and attempted to type up his reports with the other.

"Oh, Allie's here," Olivia cooed as she walked into the bullpen.

"Yeah, Allie is here," Elliot remarked.

"How is she doing?"

"She is good. But daddy is going insane."

Olivia laughed.

"It can't be that bad, El."

"She only sleeps when I have to be awake. She throws up everywhere and she cries all night. I don't know what to do. I have only been a father for a couple of days and I am already falling so far behind on work I don't know if I'll ever get caught up."

"What about a paternity leave?"

Elliot looked confused.

"It's a leave of absence for when a man becomes a new father. To help him adapt to being a parent before he returns to work. Maybe you and Allie could use a little time together to work out some sort of schedule. I'm sure Cragen wouldn't mind and we can cover things around here."

"I guess I could use a few days to get some things settled."

"It's usually a few weeks."

"Maybe I should talk to him," Elliot said as Allie opened her little blue eyes to stare up at him.

"Why don't I take her for a little while and give you a chance to talk to him?"

"That sounds like a plan," he said handing her the baby.

"Hi there angel," Olivia cooed as she looked down at Allie. "How's my girl?"

Allie grunted and stared up at her.

"I know exactly how you feel. I have had a few of those days myself lately. It's tough being a girl, isn't it?"

"She doesn't understand you," Munch said looking down at Allie.

"Yes she does," Olivia argued.

"She is five weeks old. The only things she understands are eat, sleep and poop."

Olivia laughed.

"Maybe most babies don't understand, but we have a connection. Don't we Allie?"

"She likes you," he said.

"Of course she does. Everybody likes me. Well, everybody who isn't a rapist, murder or child molester, anyway."

Elliot leaned against the wall in Cragen's office.

"I wanted to talk to you about this paternity leave thing," he said watching his boss for a reaction.

"Sound like something you're interested in?"

"I think I could use a little time off with the baby, You know, to get things settled. I've got to find a doctor for her and pick out a daycare. I still don't completely have her nursery set up and I need time to figure out this parenting stuff."

"Four weeks sound okay to you?"

"Four….yes. Four weeks should be good."

"Elliot, relax. You will figure it out. Take some time off and get to know your baby. Congratulations, by the way. She's beautiful."

"Thanks, Cap."

Elliot walked back out to the bull pen to see Olivia sitting at her desk reading to little Allie.

"Another reason men put off commitment is how much it throws us when a relationship fails," she read as Allie focused her little blue eyes on Olivia's face.

"You are reading to my daughter from Cosmopolitan?"

Olivia smiled a guilty smile and laughed nervously.

"She likes it," she said staring into his eyes. "And I skipped over the article on sixty five ways to please your lover and the naughty sex check list."

"There's a check list?" he asked looking down at the pages of the magazine.

Olivia laughed.

"I'll give you the issue when I'm finished with it. How did it go in there?"

"Good, I guess. He gave me four weeks off to straighten things out."

"That's good."

Elliot exhaled.

"I don't even know where to start."

"Well, you could start by taking the crib out of the box and actually putting it together."

"Yeah," Elliot sighed as he picked up his baby and stared into her eyes. "Daddy has got so much to learn. But I'm going to do it, I promise you.

Olivia smiled as she watched him talk to the infant.

"Because you are worth it," he said as the little girl stared at him and cooed. "You are my entire world."

Olivia smiled again with tears in her eyes as tough guy Elliot completely melted for this tiny little girl.

That evening Olivia appeared on Elliot's doorstep with a pizza and a six pack of beer.

"Liv?" he said staring at her for a moment, surprised to see her.

"Are you gonna invite me in or should I just stand out here and wait for the next hungry guy to come along?"

Elliot laughed.

"Come on in."

"I brought dinner. I figured you could use a little help setting up the nursery."

She said the pizza box on the counter and made a bee line for the bassinette.

"Hi Allie," she said with her voice full of excitement as she picked the baby up.

"I get it now," Elliot said watching her with the baby. "You didn't come to see me at all. You are just using me to get to my kid. And the beer and pizza are pay off," he joked.

Olivia laughed.

"I can't help it. She is just so darn cute. It's good to see you too, by the way."

Elliot opened the pizza box and picked up a slice.

"Really though," he began, "I'm glad you're here. I can't get anything started on the nursery because every time I get right in the middle of something she starts crying."

"She's lonely."

"She's spoiled."

"El, she's a baby. What's the point in having a baby if you can't spoil them?"

Elliot smiled as he watched her bounce Allie playfully and talk baby talk to her.

"I guess you're right. But we have got to work something out where daddy can get some work done around here. This place is a train wreck. The trash needs taken out, the nursery needs set up and there is a pile of dirty laundry up to my waist."

"Goodness," Olivia said as Allie fussed.

"Half of it is pink," he said leaning in to kiss his daughter on the forehead. "And the other half, _my half_, is only in there because itis covered in baby goo.

"Goo?" Olivia asked.

"Kind of a mixture of poo and vomit."

"Sounds like you two have been having all kinds of fun."

"Oh yeah. It has been a real adventure, let me tell you."

"I have an idea. Why don't I help you set up the nursery tonight and tomorrow I can knock off work a few hours early and take Allie while you work on the rest of this mess?"

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Olivia laughed.

"Piece of cake. I have been around her before, Elliot."

"Right, but now she leaks. Bad."

"I'm sure I can handle it. We can go shopping and get our nails done."

"You're going to take a baby to get her nails done?"

"Well, she can watch me get mine done. And when she is a little bigger she can get her's done, too."

"What exactly are you shopping for?"

"Whatever," Olivia said shrugging her shoulders.

"Is there any chance I could give you my credit card and you could pick up a few things for her?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"More diapers and formula. I like to stay stocked up. I ran out of formula once and I never want to go through that again."

"Good thinking," Olivia agreed.

"And maybe some more clothes. Now that she is staying for good, she really needs more clothes. And some in the next size up. She's really growing and she isn't going to fit in these forever."

"This could be fun," Olivia cooed to the baby.

As she did Allie fixed her eyes on Olivia's and smiled.

"Oh El, she smiled at me!"

"Make her do it again," Elliot ordered rushing to the junk drawer in the kitchen for the digital camera.

"I don't know if I can _make_ her."

"Try, please. I want to get a picture for her baby book and she never does that for me."

"She likes me," Olivia cooed as Allie stared at her and widened her little blue eyes. "Don't you Allie? You want Aunt Olivia to take you shopping with daddy's credit card," Olivia cooed and Allie smiled again and cooed as well.

"Got it! That is so cute," Elliot said showing Olivia the picture.

"I want one of those for my desk at work. Yes, I do," Olivia said to Allie.

Elliot carried his daughter's bouncy seat into the room they were about to turn into her nursery.

"Alright little lady," Olivia said buckling Allie into the seat and putting the pacifier into her little mouth, "I have to help your daddy fix up your bedroom. So you can sit over here and supervise, alright?"

Allie watched quietly for two and a half hours as Elliot and Olivia figured out how to set the crib up.

"There," Elliot said as they slid it into place against the wall.

"Where did you put the bedding?"

"It's in the laundry room. I washed it all with her special soap so that it was ready to use when we got the crib set up."

"Ooh, good thinking. I'll go get it."

"Oh El, this is beautiful," she said as she returned a few minutes later.

"Yeah? I wanted something pretty and girly without being all pink. You think green is okay for a girl?"

"It is sage and it is very pretty. She is going to love it," Olivia said holding up the quilt.

She smoothed her fingertips over each detail of the design featuring a field of dusty pink roses and detailed sage foliage on a crisp white background. Broad widths of snuggly ribbed white chenille lined the top and bottom of the reversible blanket, backed with the botanical print.

"I want bedding like this and I'm a grown up," she added with a smile as she nestles the crib blanket against her cheek. "It is so soft."

"Just help me put it on the mattress," Elliot said with a laugh.

After they had the nursery completed, Olivia sat on the sofa and gave Allie her bottle. She stared down at the little girl and told her a story. She began telling Allie the story of a princess and filled in the details she couldn't remember with random improvisational thoughts.

Elliot laughed.

"That's not how I remember it. You are mixing up Cinderella with the Princess and the Pea. And I'm not even sure where you are getting some of it."

"You stay out of it," Olivia said pointing her finger at him. "She doesn't care as long as I tell her a story. She's falling asleep," She said raising the baby to her shoulder to burp her.

"She gets to spend her first night in her new crib tonight," Elliot replied sitting his end of the baby monitor on the end table.

"Well, sleep tight angel. Aunt Liv will come visit you tomorrow after work," she whispered kissing the sleeping baby on the forehead as she handed Allie back to Elliot.

Olivia watched as he laid Allie gently in her crib and wound the mobile to play a soft lullaby. They backed slowly out of the room and pulled the door behind them.

"You'll keep me updated on our cases?" he asked Olivia.

"You are supposed to be on leave."

"Right, and after about the second day I am gonna be going crazy."

"Don't worry about work. I can handle things for a few weeks. I'm working with Cragen until you return, I may be the one going crazy."

"Good point," Elliot laughed.

"I'll drop by after work and bring you your messages. I'll bring dinner if you call and tell me what you want."

"I could get used to this."

"Well, like you said, I'm using you for your kid."

Olivia smiled.

"Good night, Olivia."

"Night El," she said as she headed for the elevator.


	5. 5 Everything Changes

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Five: Everything Changes)_

Elliot sat at the table eating a breadstick, watching Allie as she slept in her carrier. For the first time in his life he was nearly half an hour early meeting Olivia for dinner at her favorite restaurant.

"Hey," she said with a smile as she sat down in the chair across from him.

"Hey yourself. How was work?"

"Alright. It's work. Am I late?" she asked tilting her wrist to look at her watch.

"Nope. Right on time. I, however, was bored out of my mind and showed up twenty seven minutes ago."

Olivia smiled.

"You still have two weeks off work and already you are bored?"

"Too much time on my hands, I guess."

"Maybe you should get a hobby," she suggested.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Collecting stamps or bottle caps. Knitting maybe?"

"Cute."

Olivia laughed.

"Hey, while I am thinking about it….I was wondering if you could do me a big favor."

"Sure. What's up?"

"I have an appointment to check out a daycare center tomorrow afternoon. But I don't really want to take her with me. I was hoping maybe she could hang out with her Aunt Liv for an hour or so, so daddy can find her a babysitter."

"Of course. I have some paperwork to do in the afternoon, but I will be around. She can help me at work, then I can bring her back to my place and I'll make you guys some dinner."

"Thanks, Liv. It would really help me out a lot. I just want to make sure that I find a place that is baby friendly."

"Make sure you talk to some of the parents and check references."

"Definitely. I want to find a place that is right for her. I am so nervous about leaving her."

"Where is this place?" Olivia asked as she took a bite of her salad.

"It is actually over by your neighborhood."

"Not in the ghetto?" she asked trying to make him smile.

"No," Elliot laughed.

"So, where did you hear of this place?"

"It came highly recommended by our new pediatrician."

"Really?"

"Yeah. A lot of the other parents take their kids there. Some of them drive in from Brooklyn to bring their children to this school."

"School?"

"It sounds so much nicer than daycare. So far, so good. It is in an excellent neighborhood, it is highly recommended and they accept babies her age."

"It sounds perfect."

"I hope so. They work with the kids running developmental programs from a very early age. They expose them to stimuli like classical music and art from a very early age. Many of the children get into some of the cities finest preschools. "

Olivia just stared at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said cracking a smile. "You have crossed over."

"What?"

"You have become one of those crazy obsessed parents who hog up the carpool lane and print their child's IQ on their bumper sticker. You know, the kind you hate?" she giggled.

"Go ahead, laugh. You know some of those preschools have a three year waiting list?"

"Elliot, it is preschool! And she is nowhere near old enough. Right now you should be worried about colic and getting her to sleep through the night. Why don't you go ahead and put her on a list for Harvard too while you're at it?"

"Maybe you're right. I have become a little obsessed. But I want the best for her. You'll understand some day. Everything changes when you have a kid. Nothing is about me anymore, everything…..and I do mean everything….from the time I eat my breakfast to the kind of diapers I buy, effects her. I love her, Liv. And I'm the only shot she's got at a decent life. So everything that I do has to be the absolute best I can do. Not just for me, but for Allie, too."

Olivia stared into his eyes finally realizing exactly what he meant. At some point in the last few days Elliot had gone from having a baby to being a father.

"It may sound foolish to you…."

"No. You are absolutely right. I guess I have just never had to think for anyone but myself before. It was kind of hard for me to understand at first, but I completely understand. You are a good father, El."

"I'm trying to be," he said staring down at the little girl as she stirred in her sleep. "And it's about time I found us a bigger place, too. She is growing so fast and this place isn't going to work for too much longer. Do you think you could help me look at a few places? Or just keep an eye out for something more suitable for the two of us?"

"Sure."

"I'd just really like your opinion. You know, from a girl point of view."

Olivia smiled.

"I'd love to help. But it has been a long time since I was that little."

"You know what I mean."

"A girlfriend of mine is married to a real estate broker. I could give her a call."

"That would be great. Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"No, I'll just call in the big favor Donna owes me for making me wear that hideous pink bridesmaid dress last summer."

"Thanks, Liv."

Three days later Olivia called Elliot and asked her to meet him after work.

"So, you're not going to tell me where we're going?"

"It's a surprise," she insisted. "Yes it is," she cooed to Allie as she buckled the baby's seat into the back of her car.

Elliot sat quietly as Olivia drove them to a place across town and not too far from Allie's new daycare.

"Here we are," she said as she pulled into a visitor space in the parking garage.

"Liv, this building is nice, but it is nowhere near my price range."

"Relax. Donna's husband Jeff has assured me he can get a good price. And it doesn't hurt to look. If anything you might get ideas for what you want in a place," she replied pulling Allie from her seat and buckling her into the stroller.

"I guess it doesn't hurt to look. This guy is a friend of yours and he is doing me a really big favor. I don't want to seem rude."

"Each apartment has two assigned spaces and there are cameras in the lighted garage. And elevators," she pointed out. "That's a big help when you have groceries and a baby."

"Yes it is. But there is no way I can afford a place with a doorman."

"Just look. Like window shopping. No purchase required!"

"Alright. We'll just look," he replied as he pressed the button to close the elevator door.

Inside the building a tall man met them in the main lobby.

"Jeff? Thank you so much for meeting us."

"Olivia," the man replied as he hugged her. "Donna didn't tell me you had a little one."

"Oh, no. Not yet. She's his."

"Well, she's a doll."

"Thanks," Elliot said looking the man over.

"Jeff, this is my best friend and partner, Elliot Stabler," Olivia said nudging Elliot's arm for him to shake the man's hand. "And his daughter, Allie."

"Well, are you ready to take a look upstairs?" Jeff asked holding the elevator door as Olivia pushed the stroller inside.

Elliot watched as the man pushed the button for the fifth floor. Moments later they stepped off the elevator and walked down the long hallway.

"Now there is no smoking and only small pets are allowed in the building," the man explained to Elliot as he unlocked the door to the apartment. "You're not a smoker, are you?"

"No," Elliot replied. "And I have no pets."

"Come on in," Jeff replied as he pushed open the door into a large living room area.

"This is huge," Olivia said as she looked up at the high ceilings.

She turned her head to look back as Jeff's cell phone began to ring.

"Go ahead and take a look around, I have to take this really quick."

Elliot watched as the man stepped out into the hall to answer his call then turned to talk to Olivia, but she had already disappeared into the depths of the magical new land.

"Liv?"

"I'm back here!" she called to him.

Elliot followed her voice down the hall and around the corner into another large living area.

"Oh Elliot, look at the kitchen!"

"It's nice," he said inspecting the marble counter top.

"It's beautiful."

"Olivia?" Jeff's voice called from down the hall.

"We're in the kitchen," she called back to him as he entered the room.

"I am afraid something has come up and I have to go."

"Oh," she replied. "Well, we could meet you another time to look over the place," she replied forcing a smile.

"You know what, I won't be long. It's kind of a real estate emergency. Probably only about half an hour or so. Why don't you go ahead and take a look around?" he said placing the keys to the apartment in her palm. "I'll run take care of this and then we can meet up for coffee or something and I can answer any questions you may have."

"Oh, umm…." Olivia glanced over at Elliot for a moment as she closed her hand around the keys. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll let the doorman know you're still up here, just remember to lock up on your way out. I'll give you a call in a little while?"

"Alright," she agreed as the man shook Elliot's hand. "Thank you," Olivia replied once more waving as Jeff disappeared down the hall once more.

"Well that was strange," Elliot replied.

"He is trying to be polite. It was really nice of him to trust us with the keys to the apartment."

"He is _trying_ to sell me an apartment that is way out of my price range. But yes, it was nice."

"Aren't you at least a little curious about the rest of this place?" she asked with a smile as she disappeared with the stroller once more. "Oh Elliot!"

"What?" he asked rushing toward her squeal unsure if something was wrong.

"This would make the perfect bedroom for Allie!"

"Liv, you scared me to death!" he scolded as he picked the baby up and cradled her in his arms.

"Isn't it beautiful. It is such soft colors," she replied pointing to the powder blues and pinks in the wall paper and the rocking horse border.

It was obvious someone had intended for this to be a child's bedroom.

"It is very pretty. But it is also four bedrooms and two baths….."

"Three baths…."

"Three baths…." he corrected himself. "Liv, it is just me and Allie. We don't need a place this big. And frankly, I can't afford it."

"But what if you could? I mean what if there was a way…."

"A way what?"

"You said you wanted the best for her, Elliot. Every parent does. Her school is just down the block and the park across the way….it is a safe neighborhood and there are other children in the building she can play with as she gets older…. _This_ is the best!"

"Maybe it is. But this is also way out of my price range. See, we never should have come here. Maybe I should talk to Jeff and have him show us some places a little closer to my price range. This one is just a little too far out of reach."

"It doesn't have to be. I've been thinking…..maybe it is time I got a new place as well."

"What's wrong with your place?"

"Well, if you lived here it would be too far from you and Allie. Unless….we all lived here," she suggested as she looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes.

"Get serious."

"I am serious. You want the best for her and I am offering you a way to make that happen. Look, you may not be able to afford this place on your own, but together we could no problem."

"Together? You really wanna live with me?"

"It is just an idea."

"Liv, I have a baby. A crying, screaming, pooping, non-sleeping baby."

Olivia rolled her eyes to look down into Allie's big blue eyes.

"She can't be that bad, El."

"Trust me, she is!"

"So wouldn't it be nice to have someone there to help you out with all of the crying and pooping?"

"I don't think you realize what you are getting yourself into here."

"I'm asking you to be my roommate, Elliot. Not marry me! We are two fairly responsible adults and so far we have managed to handle everything she has thrown at us. I think we'll be alright."

"And we're just going to buy an apartment together?"

"Well, you can put the apartment in your name and I will just help make the payments….like rent. This is a good place for her."

"It is. It's actually perfect for her. And I could sell the place I'm in now for a little extra money."

"Or keep it and rent it out," she suggested. "That's probably what I'll do. Then when the day does come that we are ready to part ways….for whatever reason….I still have my place."

Elliot looked at his baby daughter for a moment then looked into Olivia's eyes.

"Are you really sure you want to give up your quiet carefree single life to come and live with us in the chaos? You know neither of us really know what we are doing just yet and things can get a little crazy."

Olivia took Allie from Elliot and smiled at the baby.

"I think I could get used to being with her every day," she said with a smile. "Even if that means no quiet time and very little sleep. But I do have one condition."

"What's that?" Elliot asked expecting the worst.

"I get the master bedroom with the private bath!" Olivia called out as she carried Allie down the hall to show her where the new nursery would be.


	6. 6 Stettling In

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Six: Settling In)_

Olivia grunted as she dragged a large box backward down the hall way.

"I don't get it," she protested as Casey began pushing the box from the other side. "We paid the movers a small fortune and they just dumped all of our crap in the living room and left it there."

"Yea, so?" Casey replied.

"So for what we paid them they should be unpacking all this junk!"

"I don't really think that is the way it works," Casey laughed.

Olivia sighed and fell back against her king sized bed groaning.

"I would pay someone to finish all of this for me!"

"How did you talk Elliot into letting you have the master bedroom, anyway?" Casey asked laying back across the bed next to her friend.

Olivia laughed.

"I just told him I wanted it. I pointed out that I as a woman should really have my own bathroom. I figured he'd put up at least a little fight for it, but he didn't."

"This place is amazing. Does this realtor friend of yours have any other amazing apartments like this?"

"I don't know. I'll ask for you if you want."

"Something in this building would be great," Casey said and they both laughed.

Just then they heard Elliot open the door. Olivia jumped from the bed and rushed down the hall. She grabbed Elliot by the hand and began to drag him back down the hallway.

"I missed you too Liv," Elliot said with a chuckle. "You wanna tell me what is going on?"

"Just come with me," she insisted. "I want to show you something."

"Where is my daughter? I leave for two hours to run a few errands and come back home to a crazy woman and my child is missing."

"Seriously," Olivia said stopping in front of the closed door to Allie's new nursery, "close your eyes."

"What?"

"Please?"

"Alright. But this better be good," Elliot replied as he closed his eyes.

Olivia pushed open the door and lead him into the room by the hand.

"Okay," she said as he opened his eyes to see that she and Casey had not only assembled Allie's crib, but set up the entire nursery and now his infant daughter lay sleeping in her new bed.

"You got her to sleep in it?"

Olivia smiled.

"I did. I rocked her in the chair and sang to her. She was out in ten minutes. Do you like it?"

"It looks amazing."

"And Casey and I saved you a couple hundred bucks by assembling the furniture ourselves."

"It would have taken me days to do this," he said touching the top of the carousel lamp on the nightstand. "The little horses go perfectly in here with this border."

"I found it at an antique store," she said as she flipped the switch on the cord.

Elliot watched as the soft light dimmed and the lamp projected little horses and stars onto the walls and ceiling of the room. In moments it began to play a soft lullaby as the projected lights began to dance around the room.

"This is beautiful," he said with a smile.

"Allie loves it. I turned it on while I was rocking her to sleep and she just stared at the lights."

"Thank you both," he whispered careful not to wake his little girl. "And you got her to bed early."

"I did. Now daddy has a some time to work on his room. I cannot believe we have this many boxes. Casey and I have been trying to sort them by room, but this apartment is a train wreck."

"Yeah, but you and I already set up the beds and the furniture is all in place. We're just down to the boxes. "

Olivia laughed.

"You make it sound so simple. I've been working on the dishes in the kitchen while I am unpacking the stuff in my room. I have washed two loads of dishes in the dishwasher and I'm working on the third."

"You are on it tonight."

"I think I have a touch of OCD. It is driving me nuts for everything to be sitting around in boxes. I want this apartment to be a home…our home. I want it to look and feel comfortable. I want this to be our place to just come home from work and relax. And I hate the boxes scattered all over the place."

"I think this is a good arrangement. It will be good for me to have you here to push me to get this stuff done. Normally, I'd want to put it off and put it off and a year from now I would probably still be living out of boxes."

"Over my dead body, Stabler!"

"Well, I still have a few days before I'm set to go back to work. This will be my little project."


	7. 7) Routine

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This one is for Monica. ;o) Thanks for checking it out! Please remember to review! **_

_**~ Detective Olivia Stabler ~**_

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Seven: Routine)_

"Liv?"

"Yea?" she said flipping her hair as she answered her phone.

"Look, I know you have spent all week getting ready for your big date tonight. And I know it has been a really long time since you have even gone out on a date…."

"Elliot," she said turning standing from the table and walking toward the door to take the call, "we are in the middle of dinner. What is going on?" she asked hearing Allie crying in the background.

"She has been crying for hours. I have tried feeding her and she won't take the bottle. I have rocked her and bounced her and she just cries."

"It is half past ten, what is she still doing up? She should have been asleep two hours ago."

"I have tried everything! Nothing works, she just cries. She isn't running fever, she isn't acting like she is sick. She is dry, she wont take her bottle and when I put her in the crib she just screams. I even tried reading to her. I have done everything that you do when you put her to bed at night, nothing is working. We are probably going to get evicted."

Olivia exhaled as she checked her watch and looked back at her boyfriend waiting for her at the table.

"Give her a little baby Tylenol and see if you can stall her with the pacifier. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Elliot closed the phone feeling really guilty for ruining her big night. He carried his daughter into the kitchen and gave her the medication.

Fifteen minutes later Olivia apologized to her date as she stepped off the elevator and walked toward her apartment.

"Just give me a few minutes to get her calmed down, then we can go."

"I don't understand. I thought you didn't have any kids."

"I don't….exactly."

"Then whose kid is that screaming in your apartment?"

"Her name is Allie. She is my roommate, Elliot's eight month old daughter."

"And her father is in there with her?" he asked as she opened the door.

"There she is," Olivia cooed dropping her purse on the sofa to take the baby girl from Elliot. "What's wrong sweet girl?"

Allie stared at her with her little blue eyes all full of tears and fussed. Elliot watched as Olivia kissed the little girl's forehead and whispered softly to try and soothe her cries.

"She doesn't feel warm. She is probably cutting teeth."

"I gave her medicine."

"Give me a couple minutes to get her down," Olivia said smiling at her date taking the bottle from Elliot as she headed down the hall.

Olivia whispered softly as she bounced the infant on her hip. She sat down in turned on the carousel lamp in the nursery and sat down in the rocking chair.

"Tell me about it," she said softly, shifting the little girl and offering her the bottle.

Allie fussed a bit and turned her face away.

"It is way past your bedtime little lady. And you are so sleepy. I can see it in your eyes," she whispered as Allie grunted and cooed up at her.

Within moments Olivia had not only calmed the baby, but had gotten her to take her bottle. Allie stared up at her and sucked on her bottle until her pretty blue eyes finally fell shut.

"There we go angel," Olivia whispered kissing the baby as she placed her gently into the crib.

"You are a miracle worker," Elliot said as she reappeared in the living room. "What was wrong with her?"

"I don't know. I just talked to her and in a few minutes she calmed down and took the bottle."

Elliot smiled.

"Maybe she just wanted you."

"I just saw her this morning."

"She is a baby, Liv. She just wants what she wants, she probably doesn't know why."

Olivia smiled.

"We broke her routine. Messed things all up. I give her a bath and you usually give her the bedtime bottle and sing to her. She didn't want daddy to do it," he laughed. "I think she wanted her aunt Liv."

"She missed me."

"I'm sorry we messed up your plans," Elliot said as Olivia noticed the now empty living room where she had left her date standing twenty minutes earlier.

"It's okay," she exhaled as she kicked off her heels and took off her earrings. "How long did he last?"

"Long enough for you to shut the nursery door. I guess Allie and I chased him off."

"Yea, well, I am better off. He had this horrible habit of ordering for me. I hate that. And the worst case of halitosis I have ever encountered."

Elliot laughed.

"What did you guys have planned for the night?"

"Well, we had dinner at this fancy new place across town."

"That sounds nice."

"The wine was amazing. But I paid thirty six bucks for a piece of salmon I wouldn't feed to a cat."

"Wait, you paid?"

She smiled.

"Yea, apparently going dutch is back in. Which I do not have a problem with at all. But…."

"But when a man asks a woman out, he should pay her way. That is part of being a gentleman. What a jerk."

"He had this big date planned. He chose the restaurant and everything I guess I just assumed….I didn't even take my wallet," she said emptying her purse on the table in the dining room to reveal her drivers license, a tube of lipstick, a pack of gum, a small bottle of perfume, three dollars in change, a credit card and two condoms. "If I had known in advance it wouldn't have been that big a deal. Luckily I keep a little emergency cash just in case I need to call a cab."

"I see you went prepared."

Her eyes shifted to the condoms on the table and she began to blush in embarrassment.

"Hey, better to be safe than sorry," he reminded her.

"In his dreams! He wanted to go to this club across town, but I probably couldn't afford it anyway," she said sarcastically as she tossed her things back into her bag.

"Since when are you a night club kind of girl."

"I'm not," she said looking a bit annoyed at the thought.

Elliot laughed a little.

"He didn't look like much of a dancer."

"He was a total disaster, is what he was."

"You are too good for men like that. He didn't deserve you. You are better than that."

"You're damn right I am."

"I am sorry your date was a disaster. But I still shouldn't have called you."

"It's fine, really. Another ten minutes listening to him talk about himself and I would have been looking for a way out anyway," she said with a soft smile. "I'd rather be here with you and Allie anytime."

"I still cannot believe this man had the nerve to ditch you."

"Ehh, any guy who can't be understanding of the relationship that we have here isn't worth my time anyway. You and Allie are my family. You are always going to be a big part of my life, so any man who chooses to date me had better get used to it upfront. I would do anything for that baby girl, including cutting my date a little short."

Elliot smiled.

"You are amazing, you know that? And someday you will find him. That guy out there who is right for you and treats you like a queen, respects you and makes you happy and would do anything for you. You can't give up hope because of guys like this."

"What about you?" she asked with a smile.

"Me?"

"Yea. I think maybe it is about time got back out there and started dating again, too."

"I don't know, Liv. I have a baby to think about."

"A lot of single parents date. The church even has events for single parents to help them meet people. You know now that we live together I can keep Allie some nights and give you some grown up time. Maybe you should check into it."

"Maybe," he agreed only to get her to stop talking about it. "Well, I know it isn't some fancy night club….but I was about to pop some popcorn and watch some episodes of that cop show you like on TiVo. You are more than welcome to join me."

"Can you give me time to shower and change clothes?"

"Sure."

Olivia smiled as she headed off down the hall toward her room. Elliot went in to check on his soundly sleeping daughter, then started the popcorn. When Olivia returned he handed her her own bowl of popcorn and she settled onto the loveseat across the room.


	8. 8) Fun & Games

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Eight: Fun And Games)_

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this," Elliot groaned they approached the coffee shop.

"It was your idea," she reminded him as she inspected her reflection in the glass windows of the neighboring stores.

"For you! And I was being sarcastic!"

"Would you relax?" she asked straightening his tie. "You look great by the way. And what is the worst that could happen? You meet someone you like? Or don't and lost all of an hour in the search?"

"What's next? Online dating services?"

"Elliot, when was the last time you went out on a date?" she stared at him and blinked in his silence. "My point exactly. And I have not done so hot, myself," she replied writing his name on a sticker in a flowery sort of signature that could only come from a woman, and sticking it to his suit jacket.

"And you really think twenty-three minute dates in an hour is the best way to meet your soul mate?"

"It is speed dating, Elliot. And I am pretty sure it is painless. The only information they get is your first name and the email address this company set up for you. And meeting anyone at this point is better than not even trying."

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this," he said as one of the host approached Olivia and lead her to the table where she would await her dates.

"Smile," she whispered over her shoulder. "Remember this is supposed to be fun."

"Yea, so is skydiving," he said sarcastically. "Neither of which were on my bucket list," he mumbled under his breath.

The men were each given a number at random to signify the table number of their first date of the evening. A timer was set for three minutes and when the buzzer sounded the gentleman was to excuse himself and move on to the next table.

Each participant was given a pen and an index card to write down the names of the dates they would be interested in meeting with again in private. This was on a first name basis only and participants could email the names of the dates they were interested in to the host, who would send a reply containing the email address provided by the company to initiate contact. Anything beyond that point was completely up to the participants.

Elliot looked down over the rows of women at the tables. He was number one. And for some reason, it didn't feel like such a great thing to start at the beginning of the line and work his way down.

Olivia, however, was seated somewhere closer to the other end at table number seventeen. Elliot groaned as the host started the timer and he sat down to meet his first date of the evening, Cami.

The girl was in her early twenties and spent the entire three minutes talking about going to some beauty college in Mississippi. She said she had followed an old boyfriend to New York City, before he took off and left her. Elliot studied the hair do Cami chose and counted at least six different shades of hair dye and seven piercings before the buzzer finally sounded. All he had managed to get out was _hi my name is Elliot_."

But he sucked it up and moved down the line. Still holding out hope that somewhere in this room was someone at least capable of holding intelligent conversation for three minutes. All hoped seemed about lost when he took a seat in front of a sexy brunette toward the end of the line.

"Hey baby," he said laying it on thick as he took her hand in his. "Whatta ya say I take you back to my place when this is all over."

Olivia busted out laughing.

"Be serious, El. This is never going to work if you don't at least give it a chance."

"I am giving it a chance. I am here, aren't I? You having any luck?"

"I have a few names on my card," she replied flipping it over so he couldn't see. "How about you?"

"Oh yea," he said laying his blank card down on the table in front of her. "Let's see. I have met a stripper, a hooker, a woman named Suzy I am still pretty sure was a man….oh, and a hairdresser from Mississippi with more metal in her face than I have in my gun."

Olivia laughed.

"Be nice. It is almost over," she reminded him as the buzzer sounded and all of the other men got up to move down the row. "El, what are you doing?"

"What? I have finally found someone in this room worth talking to."

She smiled and raised an eyebrow at him as the next suitor in line grumbled a bit before moving past them and on to the next table.

"I am pretty sure that is against the rules."

"So kick me out. I am so ready to go anyway. I was thinking we could pick up a pizza and a movie on the way home. I know a certain little girl who is just dying to see the new Barbie DVD that just came out. Maybe we could play a board game or something."

"That sounds good," she said watching as the second man walked around them and stared at Elliot as he passed. "You know, we could both be missing out on opportunities here," she noted glancing at over at the man once more.

"Who, that guy? He is a jerk."

"Oh yea?"

"Yea."

"And how do you know that?"

"For one, before this all started he ordered a drink from the waitress."

"This is a coffee shoe, Elliot. That isn't a crime."

"He tipped her a quarter and smacked her on the ass as she walked away. Then he pulled a flask from his inside pocket and poured something into his coffee. Trust me, you'll do just fine without that guy in your life."

"Sounds like it. I find guys like that all the time on my own."

"This is true," he agreed.

"Hey," she said as the buzzer sounded. "Go," she said with a nod.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure! You may not be taking this seriously, but I am here on a mission."

"Mission?"

"Yes, somewhere in this room is my future husband."

Elliot smiled as he stood up.

"I'd better get going then so the two of you can get acquainted."

Olivia smiled and laughed as he got up and moved to the next table.

She pressed her lips nervously together as her next date sat down. She raised her eyes and smiled shyly as the geeky guy in the brown suit and thick glasses began to tell her about owning his own computer software business. Bored out of her mind she rolled her eyes over to look at Elliot who was now laughing his ass off.

"That's got to be him," he mouthed.

Olivia shook her head and smiled as she tried to act interested in every word the man said. Finally the buzzer sounded.

Elliot was still laughing when he met up with her at the door.

"So how was your night?" he asked. "I see you met the man of your dreams. When is the wedding?"

"You can stop now," she said trying not to laugh as she rolled her eyes at him. "He was actually very nice. He owns his own company. Computer software….I think."

"So you were on a date with Bill Gates? Nice."

"Can we go now?"

"Don't you even want to hear about my last date?" he asked as they walked down the sidewalk toward the car.

"Did you finally get a good one?"

"Oh yea. Her name was Mandi with an 'I' not a 'y' and she works at Hooters. She is twenty seven and really wants to meet a good buy because her _astrological_ clock is ticking."

Olivia cracked a smile and began to laugh.

"She wants to get married and have three kids."

"Three?"

"Yes. Three, not four, because three is her lucky number. I am pretty sure I felt a nipple ring when she stood up to hug me before I left and I saw one of those tramp stamp tattoos on her lower back as she was putting on her coat. I am pretty sure we have a future together."

Olivia laughed.

"Okay, the night didn't go as great as I had hoped. But I do appreciate you going with me. And at least you tried. The important thing is that you are getting back out there."

"Liv, I have not been out there in so long that I don't remember ever being there in the first place."

The next day at work, Elliot couldn't help but notice that Olivia kept checking the email account the speed dating company had set up for her.

"Any luck?" he asked across his desk.

"Bill Gates wants to know if I am busy this Friday," she replied rolling her eyes at the computer screen.

"Not the Prince Charming you were hoping to hear from, huh?"

"Not exactly. I was hoping that somewhere in that entire room of single men at least one decent guy would try to contact me."

"It has barely been twelve hours," he reminded her.

"You have any luck?"

"Not a single bite! I am devastated, too," he said propping his feet on his desk and sipping his coffee, "I really thought Mandi was the one."

Olivia laughed and moved across the room to fix herself another cup of coffee. A few hours later she sat deleting three more messages from other guys she was not at all interested in. It seemed like all the wrong ones were the only ones who were interested at all."

"At least you got something."

"You still don't have any at all?"

"None. Of course I am probably too old for most of those women."

"You are not too old," she said returning her attention to her work and feeling a little bad for him.

After another hour or so Olivia's curiosity got the better of her and she opened up a new message window and began to type.

"Hey I got one," Elliot said with a smile. "Lets see who took the bait," he said opening the message. "She is asking me to dinner. Her treat."

"I like this girl already," Munch said from across the room as Elliot rolled his eyes up to meet Olivia's. "Very funny."

"What? You were probably my most interesting date last night anyway and I am starving. Maybe you were right about this whole speed dating thing, it was a bust. What do you say we grab some lunch, my treat?"

"Okay, just let me finish up this report," he replied as he typed a few more few keystrokes and he hit print.

Olivia walked over to wash out her coffee mug and get her jacket.

"Hey, Liv?" Fin called from across the room. "What does the little blinking heart icon mean?"

"That shows you have a new message."

"Well you've got one," he said looking up at her.

"Cute," she said with a sarcastic smile as she looked over her shoulder at Elliot.

"It wasn't me, I swear."

"Yea, right."

He followed her as she moved around her desk and opened the message. Immediately she realized it was not from Elliot's assigned email address.

"I told ya."

"Hot Doc," Munch replied reading over her shoulder.

"Liv, that's that guy….um….Victor…."

"Vincent," she corrected him.

"Yea, that's it. Vincent. He seemed normal….nice even. And you put him on your card."

"His name is Vincent Reid. And I didn't know he was a doctor."

"Dr. Reid," Munch said aloud.

"How do you know his last name?" Elliot asked.

"He signed the message Dr. Vincent Reid," she pointed out as she closed the window.

"Why aren't you responding? This could be the guy you were looking for?" Elliot asked.

"I don't date doctors."

"Most women are looking for a handsome doctor to sweep them off their feet. This one is tracking you down and you are not even curious?" Fin asked.

"It has been my experience that they are all cocky and full of themselves. They appear nice at first, but they bore me."

"Bore you?" Munch asked.

"It is all a show. They want to parade around like they are so much better than everyone else. They pick you up in an expensive sports car and flash a lot of cash. Most of them own watches worth more than you and I make in a year. And they all think because they have all of this money that they are entitled…."

"Entitled to what?" Munch asked.

"To anything they want. Most of them treat a woman like crap, then expect her to jump into bed with him just because he has money. All of the ones that I have had the pleasure of knowing anyway. I'm not like that. And I don't want a guy who is looking for someone to be his floozy piece of arm candy. I want someone who is real. I don't date doctors."

"Makes sense to me," Fin said shrugging his shoulders.

"I am not trying to talk you into anything you don't want to do," Elliot said as they sat down at the table and ordered their lunch, "but not all guys are the same. Maybe this guy is real. But you will never know if you don't give him a chance."

Olivia rolled her eyes at him and stirred her drink with her straw.

"You were the one who said we should give this a shot."

"I know. I guess I was just hoping for a better outcome."

"It could still be good. How can you just assume this guy is like all those others if you don't even give him a chance?"

"It is just a personal preference, Elliot. Like guys like girls with big boobs or long legs, I like guys who are not in the medical profession."

"You don't even know what he is a doctor of."

"So."

"So, he could me a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist. A Veterinarian, you love animals! A Podiatrist or even a Paleontologist."

Olivia laughed.

"Because there are so many dinosaurs running around Manhattan."

"Have you seen the size of some of those rats in the subway?" Elliot said sarcastically. "He could be Dr. Vincent Reid, Paleontologist-Podiatrist. Someone has to take care of those giant feet."

"Just let it go El, okay?"

"I just hate to see you give up so easily. You were so excited the other night at the thought of meeting someone."

"And I will meet someone. I just think I have had my fill of doctors. The last doctor I went on a date with ditched me in my own living room."

"That guy was a jerk, Liv. It was a complete coincidence that he also happened to be a doctor. Don't hold that against the profession."

"Would you want to date a stripper?" she asked taking a drink as the waitress sat their food on the table and stared at him for a moment.

"Do you mind?" he asked looking up at her.

"No I wouldn't date a stripper. That wouldn't be a very good example for my daughter, now would it?"

"So if Candi or Bambi or whatever her name was contacted you, you wouldn't go out with her?"

"It was Mandi, she works at Hooters and no, I wouldn't. She isn't exactly my type."

"Strippers are not your type and doctors are not my type. Just let it go."

"Okay. I get it. I am sorry I hounded you about it."

Olivia smiled.

"I am only sorry you ran the waitress off," she said staring up at him with her dark eyes. "She forgot to bring my fries."

They both laughed as Elliot turned his plate around to share his fries with her.

_**TWO WEEKS LATER….**_

Elliot sat in the rocking chair in the shadow of the purple butterfly nightlight waiting for his five year old daughter to fall asleep. Allie had been sick the last few days with a fever and a sore throat and Elliot had pretty much done anything she had asked of him, just to get her to eat and sleep.

Now, two bedtime stories and three lullabies later her big blue eyes stared at him in the dark.

"Aren't you tired, sweetheart? It is really late and way past your bedtime."

"I'm not sleepy," she said and he could tell this was a battle she was about to lose.

As far as fighting sleep came, his child was a champion. Even when she was a little baby, she would cry and cry in sheer exhaustion refusing to fall asleep. But now, with her fighting illness it was more important than ever that she get her rest.

"You know, that medicine won't work if you do not get your sleep," he pointed out.

"Does that mean I wont have to take it anymore? That stuff is yucky."

Well, that backfired, Elliot thought to himself.

"Can I watch a movie?"

"Absolutely not. It is past ten o'clock. I promised you I would sit with you until you fell asleep, but that was two hours ago. I have read stories and sang songs….. It is bedtime. Now go to sleep."

Allie exhaled in annoyance, making a pouty face and sinking into her pillow. Elliot watched as she closed her eyes tight and the room was silent for a few long moments.

"Daddy?" she whispered without opening her eyes.

"Yes, Allie."

"Why is the sky blue?"

Elliot smiled. There was absolutely no length this child would not go to to avoid sleep.

"Well, I have heard it's blue because it is actually reflecting the color of the ocean."

"That's not what Aunt Liv said when I asked her."

"What did Aunt Liv say?"

"She said because blue is God's favorite color."

She smiled as she pulled her blanket up around her chin and held tight to the teddy bear Olivia had given her when she was barely a year old.

"Good one," Elliot mumbled to himself.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Allie."

"Why is water wet?"

Elliot thought about this for a moment, wondering exactly where she came up with all of these questions.

"Water is wet because…." he stumbled for a moment then smiled as a genius answer finally popped into his head. "Because is isn't too hot and it isn't too cold."

Allie looked confused.

"If water gets too hot, it turns into steam and goes up into the air. And if it gets too cold…."

"It makes ice," she said finishing his sentence.

"That's right. It freezes and turns into ice."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Allie."

"What are shadows made of?"

"The backs of rainbows," he said proudly applying a bit of his own imagination to the game.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Allie."

"What color is the air?"

"The air is clear. That is why we can see through it."

"Daddy?"

Elliot exhaled, quickly growing tired of all her questions.

"Yes, Allie."

The room was silent for a few moments and he noticed her eyes had fallen shut and her cheek was snuggled against her bear.

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby," he whispered softly as he kissed her cheek and tucked the blanket around her.

He was standing in the kitchen loading the dishwasher with the dishes from dinner when Olivia arrived home from work.

"Hey, how'd everything go?" he asked.

"Alright. I am exhausted. We have been going over and over the same case file for hours and still have found nothing new. I just want a hot bath and a glass of wine."

"How about fried chicken and macaroni and cheese?" he smiled handing her the plate he had reheated for her.

"No mashed potatoes?" she asked with a sarcastic smile. "We have had macaroni and cheese the last four nights."

"It is the only thing I can get her to eat."

"I was kidding. I am starving and have not eaten anything all day. This smells amazing. Is Allie feeling any better?"

"She is still running fever. But it's down from 104 to 102."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"I guess. But she just feels so miserable."

"What did the doctor say?" Olivia asked popping a bite of chicken into her mouth.

"He gave me antibiotics. And said she needs a lot of liquids and a lot of rest. But it has been over a week and she is so tired of laying around all day that she hardly sleeps anymore. And I have to bribe her to take her medicine because it tastes so bad."

"It smells awful. I don't know why they didn't make it grape or bubble gum flavor….she is a kid after all and medicine only helps if you can actually get them to take it. She doesn't do too bad considering the smell is enough to make me gag."

"Tonight she cried and begged me not to 'make her eat it.' I felt horrible. But she is never going to get better if she doesn't take it."

"Poor baby girl."

"Then she didn't want to fall asleep. She asked me to stay in there with her until she did. It took over tow hours!"

Olivia smiled.

"If fighting sleep were an Olympic sport that child would have a wall full of gold medals."

"I read her stories, sang her songs, she asked me about a hundred questions and drank about a gallon of water. It's a good thing she doesn't wet to bed."

Olivia laughed.

"I can't blame her. I've been home all week, too. I am going stir crazy and I am an adult, I know she has to be bored. And I don't want to even think about how far behind I am falling at work."

"Well….If you are really tired of being stuck at home, I could stay with her tomorrow and let you go into work," Olivia offered.

"Are you serious?"

"Sure. I have sick days piling up. I can do my paper work from here and I think I can handle lounging around here watching cartoons all day."

"You have to make her take the medicine, Liv."

"I will."

"No matter how hard she cries."

"Okay," she agreed.

"Oh, wait, I was going to try to get her another appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow."

"So I will take her."

"Yea?"

"Yea. Just call me and let me know what time the appointment is."

"Great, thanks. They have all of my insurance information on file and you are down as a proxy to bring her in for treatment, so there shouldn't be any problems. Just call me at work if you have any trouble."

"Elliot, I have taken her to the doctor before."

He smiled.

"Yea, I guess you have," he said taking her dirty dishes from her.

"If you need me," she said pouring a glass of red wine, "I will be soaking in the bath."

Elliot smiled as she took her glass and headed down the hall. In her bedroom, Olivia opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and tossed an old tee shirt and a pair of boxer shorts onto the bed. Then she stepped into the bathroom and began filling the tub with lavender scented bath oil and steamy water.

She pulled her robe from the back of her bathroom door and lit a few candles around the room, leaving the overhead lights off to help her unwind. She plugged her ipod into the doc station and found just the right play list of soft relaxing music. She twisted her dark hair up in a clip, then dropped her clothes in the floor and slowly eased into the heat of the water.

She moaned softly and exhaled as she leaned back against the inflatable bath pillow she used for occasions such as this. She closed her eyes and rolled her neck around on her shoulders popping it to relieve the tension in the muscles.

"Oh yea, this is exactly what I need. I have been looking forward to this all day," she said to herself raising the cold wineglass and holding it to her forehead.

She sat relaxed in the water until she was good and wrinkled, then decided to get out before Elliot had to wake her up in the bath tub. She stretched her long tanned leg out and used her toe to drop the lever and start the water draining. She stepped from the water and wrapped the white spa robe around her.

She wiped the steam away from the mirror and washed away the days make up. She climbed up on the bed and smoothed lotion all over her silky smooth skin as she finished off the last bit of wine from the glass.

Dressing quickly she turned on the television and shut off the light as she turned down the bed. Just as she got settled in a small figure appeared in the doorway.

"Aunt Liv," Allie whined softly rubbing her tired eyes.

"Hey, button," Olivia said with a smile. "What's the matter?"

"I can't sleep."

"No?"

Olivia watched as she shook her head full of blond curls and yawned.

"No. Can I come in here with you?"

Olivia smiled, this kid had her wrapped around her tiny little finger since the day Olivia had first laid eyes on her sleeping in that basket.

"Did you ask your daddy if it was okay?"

"Daddy goed to bed," she explained. "And it's dark in there," she said looking down the hallway behind her.

Olivia considered the consequences for a moment.

"Alright," she replied flipping back the blankets on the other side of her bed and realizing she was not scared of Elliot.

She watched as the little girl smiled and ran across the room, bouncing up into her designated place in Olivia's bed.

"Are you all tucked in?"

"Yes," Allie replied rubbing her eyes again. "Can we watch cartoons?"

Olivia sighed realizing her TiVo'd episodes of Criminal Minds would just have to wait.

"Sure we can. But only for a little while. You need to get lots of rest so you can get better," she replied turning on Toon Disney for the child. "One show, then the TV goes off. Deal?"

Allie smiled.

"Deal," she said with a yawn.

Within a matter of minutes Allie was snuggled in against Olivia and they were both sound asleep.

The next morning Elliot was sitting at the counter drinking coffee when Olivia entered the kitchen.

"Morning," he said with a mouthful of Allie's cereal.

"Good morning," she replied knowing she'd been busted.

"Sleep well?"

"I did. And you?"

Elliot stared her down until she smiled a guilty smile.

"Liv, we've talked about this."

"I know, I know. But she has been sick and I have been at work and not been able to see her much this week. And I mind her sleeping with me."

"Not now, you don't."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked pouring herself a bowl of cereal and sat down across from him.

"It seems harmless now. But later….down the road…."

"Down the road…."

"What happens when you get a boyfriend?"

Olivia raised her eyes to look at him.

"And the two of you want to have a little grown up time…."

"I wouldn't have sleepovers with your child asleep in the next room."

"I just think it is a bad habit for her to get into."

"You said once in a while was okay."

"Once in a while, Liv. Not once a week she sleeps in her own bed."

"And I am just supposed to tell her no?"

"Maybe you need practice, but yes. Put your foot down. You are the adult, don't let a five year old run over the top of you."

"You have a lot of room to talk. I don't think you have ever told her no."

"So we both need a little practice," he noted in agreement.

"I'll work on it," she said softly.

"And stop picking out the marshmallows. You know, Allie gets in trouble for that."

"The marshmallows are the only part I like. Besides, I bought this box of cereal."

Elliot laughed wondering how he had managed to make it this long without realizing that he was infact raising two children.

"You spoil her," he said pouring another cup of coffee before heading off to work.

"I am her favorite aunt, that is my job."

"You are her only aunt," Elliot laughed and she smiled. "And her absolute favorite person in the entire world!"

Olivia smiled.

"Well, the feeling is mutual."

"I'll call you as soon as I get a hold of the doctor. Try to get her to eat something."

"I thought you said she ate Mac & cheese?"

"She said she would eat it, then she just picked at it. Maybe ate a noodle or two. She said her throat hurt and I couldn't get her to eat. What she has eaten over the last few days wouldn't feed a bird."

"And the doctor wasn't worried about that?"

"It wasn't this bad the last time I took her. He said as long as she ate something and got plenty of fluids. He said the medication he gave her would make her thirsty. And she did drink quite a bit of water last night while trying to avoid going to sleep. I made her finish a cup before her stories. I figured I might as well use it to my advantage. She sipped it slowly, but she didn't argue it."

"The cool probably felt good on her throat," Olivia replied pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Do you think maybe she has strep?"

"I don't know. Her throat was all red and swollen last night, but I don't know what strep looks like. I called the on call line and they said that if her fever was down she would it would be alright to make an appointment today instead of taking her through emergency. They said to keep an eye on the fever and make sure she is drinking water."

"Poor kid. I hate it when she is sick."

"It is really going to be bad if it is strep throat. That stuff is contiguous. Make sure you don't eat or drink after her."

"Oh, I don't. She is adorable and I love her, but I prefer my drinks without the backwash, thank you."

Elliot laughed.

"Sometimes I will let her finish it for me…."

"I am just saying, beware. At least until we know for sure what she has. Don't kiss around on her either. It isn't supposed to be contiguous once she is on antibiotics, but I wouldn't take any chances."

"I kissed her on the forehead," Olivia frowned in defense. "I am not going to not kiss her because she is sick. Her cooties don't scare me."

"They will when your throat is all red and inflamed and you can't drink or eat."

"At least I am an adult. I think if that tiny little girl could handle it, I could."

"Right," he said with a nod. "No wine. And lots of that medicine that makes you gag," he reminded her.

Olivia looked alarmed.

"Maybe we should put her on quarantine or something."

Elliot smiled.

"I thought you would see it my way. Just be cautious. And until she is better, hand washing dishes is not enough. Everything goes through the dishwasher, just in case."

"Hopefully they will figure out whatever this is and give her something that will actually get rid of it."

"I have to get to work," Elliot said disappearing down the hall to Olivia's bedroom to check on his still sleeping daughter.

A few hours later Olivia was just about to fall asleep on the sofa watching the morning news when Allie appeared in the hallway.

"Where's my daddy?" she asked softly.

"Your daddy went to work today. I am gonna stay here with you today, is that okay?"

"Yea," she said smiling softly.

"Why doesn't Aunt Liv make you some breakfast?"

"No."

"No? I bought your favorite cereal."

"No, thank you."

"Okay, or I could make eggs and bacon. You love bacon."

Allie just shook her head.

"Whatever you want."

"I'm not hungry."

"I have an idea," Olivia said standing from the sofa and holding back the blanket for Allie to climb under.

She tucked Allie in and turned on cartoons for her. She made her way to the kitchen and began to look through the cabinets.

"Oatmeal, gross!" she said with a frown. "I wouldn't eat it and I sure don't expect her to. There has got to be something…..that's better," she said pulling a box of Malt-O-Meal from the cabinet. "Maple and Brown Sugar, this should do the trick."

She started some water boiling and leaned around the corner to check on Allie, who was curled up with her teddy bear watching _The Little Mermaid _on television.

"Here sweetheart," she said handing the child a cup with a straw.

Allie took it from her and peered down into it.

"What is it?" she asked wrinkling her nose.

"It's my secret potion."

"Is it medicine?" she asked with a worried look in her little blue eyes.

"No, it isn't quite time for that yet. Try it, it's good," Olivia replied raising her own cup and taking a sip from the straw. "It is warm, it should feel good on your throat."

"It smells funny."

"Just taste it. It's sweet."

"This is good," Allie said with a smile. "I like this drink."

Olivia smiled and returned to the kitchen to clean up her mess.

"That's right, it's a drink," she mumbled with an accomplished smile. "Mission accomplished."

She was still in the kitchen when Elliot called.

"How's my girl?" he asked.

"I'm great, El. Thanks for asking."

"Ha ha. Did you get her to eat anything?"

Olivia smiled.

"As a matter of fact, I did. I made Malt-O-Meal with a lot of sugar and thinned it out with water so she could drink it through a straw. She said she really liked that drink."

"She should, it's all sugar," he laughed.

"It has calcium, fiber, folic acid and iron."

"You are reading that off the box, aren't you?"

Olivia laughed.

"Yea, I was."

"Actually, it's probably healthier than the bowl full of marshmallows she eats every other morning. At least you got something in her."

"She is on her second cup of it. She loves the stuff. It takes her a while to get through it, but she drinks it."

"Did she take her medicine?"

"Not yet. I figured I would let her enjoy her breakfast before I made her tackle that nasty stuff."

"Good. Don't give it to her. Her appointment is at eleven and I want to hold off in case they prescribe something else."

"Okay. Well, when she is finished with breakfast we will start getting ready. It has kind of been a lazy morning. I might jump in the shower while she is watching cartoons, then put her in the tub."

"Thanks again, Liv."

"No problem."

"Call me when and let me know what the pediatrician says."

"Alright. How's your first day back?"

"Okay. I am up to my neck in paperwork."

"Hey, I kept it all caught up while you were gone."

"Yea, we caught this new case and Fin remembered the guy's M.O. We are reviewing some old files on unsolved homicides to see if we can match any of these to our killer. Hoping he has left us a clue somewhere."

"Needle in a haystack?"

"Exactly."

"Well, good luck. I'll call you later."

Olivia climbed out of the shower and started bath water for Allie. She added some of her shampoo for bubbles and stepped into Allie's room to pick out an outfit for the little girl.

"Allie," she called as she made her way down the hall to the living room, "come take a bath so we can go see your doctor."

"I don't want to see the doctor," she whined.

"We are gonna see if we can get some medicine that isn't so nasty," Olivia explained as Allie climbed off the sofa and tucked her bear under the blanket.

"You can play for a little bit. Make sure you keep your splashes contained," she warned with a smile. "All water stays inside the tub."

Allie giggled.

"I'm gonna go dry my hair. I be back in a few minutes to wash yours."

"Okay."

Fifteen minutes later Olivia returned and helped the girl from the bath tub. She twisted her blond curls up in a hand towel up on her head and slipped her clothes onto her.

"Let's brush our teeth. We don't want to have bad breath, do we?"

"Eww," Allie giggled.

"Eww," Olivia growled playfully.

After Olivia dried Allie's hair, the child sat on her bathroom counter and watched carefully as Olivia applied her make up.

"Why do you wear that?" she asked innocently staring up with her eyes full of wonder.

Olivia smiled, loving the innocent way Allie saw the world around her.

"It makes you pretty," she replied with a smile leaning toward the mirror to apply her mascara.

"You're already pretty," the little girl said blinking in confusion and Olivia couldn't help but smile.

"Aww. Thank you, honey. It is just something girls wear when they get older."

"Will I wear that when I get big?"

"I am sure you will," Olivia replied dragging a blush brush across the tip of her little button nose.

Allie giggled again.

"Can I wear make up?"

"You don't think your daddy will get mad?"

Allie shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe just a little," Olivia agreed as the little girl smiled in excitement.

Olivia picked up a compact of translucent powder and twirled the blush brush through it. She held it up and blew across it, removing the majority of the powder.

"Okay, close your eyes."

Allie closed her eyes and tipped her head back as Olivia gently brushed the tiniest bit of powder over her little face.

"The key to putting on make up is to make it look like you are not wearing any," she said laying the brush on the counter as Allie opened her eyes to inspect her new look. "Kind of like a secret."

"Now we add just a bit…." she trailed off as she pulled a clear lip gloss from her purse across the room and dabbed it on Allie's lower lip with her fingertip. "And press your lips together," she replied demonstrating as Allie followed her example.

"Why wear it if you don't want people to know you are wearing it?"

"You want it to look natural."

"What does that mean?"

"Natural means….like….the way God made you. Perfect."

Allie smiled.

"We look pretty," she said staring at them in the large mirror.

"You were already pretty," Olivia reminded her as she kissed the top of the child's head. "Grab your jacket, we have to get going."

She helped Allie down from the counter and watched as she scampered off into the other room.

"Allie, come on. We are going to be late.

"I can't find my bear," she whined as she entered to living room almost in tears. "If I don't take him with me he will be scared," she explained.

Olivia knelt down and handed the bear to her.

"He was waiting here with me," she explained with a smile. "Now neither of you have to be scared. Are you ready to go?"

Allie nodded and smiled.

"Can we go see daddy at work later?"

"We will have to wait and see what your doctor says first."

Elliot had just sat back down at his desk when his phone rang.

"Liv? What did he say? What do you mean she was admitted? Admitted where?"

Fin raised his head to look at the worried father.

"Olivia, calm down. I am on my way."

He closed his phone and dropped it back into his pocket as he opened his desk drawer and grabbed his car keys.

"Fin, I have to….."

"Go, don't worry about things here."

"Olivia took Allie to a doctor's appointment about an hour ago. They just admitted her into the hospital."

"Did they say what was wrong with her?" Cragen asked as Elliot hit the button on the elevator.

"They wont tell Olivia anything because she is not Allie's legal guardian."


	9. 9) Forever

_Nobody's Child_

_(Chapter Nine: Forever)_

Olivia was leaned over the side of the hospital bed helping Allie find Waldo when Elliot arrived.

"Daddy," she said with a smile as she threw her little arms around his neck.

Elliot hugged her tight as he stared at a worried Olivia.

"All they would tell me is that her fever had spiked again," she tried to explain.

"They put a needle in me right there," Allie said with a sad face as Elliot inspected the medical tape on her little arm.

"That is so they can give you medicine," he explained to the child.

"Elliot," Olivia said as she leaned forward and whispered to him, "I overheard them talking about surgery."

"I'll find out what is going on. You stay here with Aunt Liv and help her with the book. Daddy is going to talk to the doctor," he said as his daughter looked up at him with questions in her eyes.

It was nearly an hour before Elliot returned.

"Did you figure anything out?" Olivia asked.

"I'm sorry it took so long. I had to fill out a ton of consent forms. She is scheduled for surgery first thing in the morning. Tonsillectomy."

"It's her tonsils?"

"The doctor seems to think so."

"She is awfully young for surgery."

"He assured me they do this kind of thing all the time. He said she should be back to normal in a week or so."

"Whatever it takes to make her better, I guess. It just sounds so scary."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, I guess now that we have a better idea of what is going on….I'm gonna go home and get some stuff to make her a little more comfortable. Is there anything you need?" Olivia asked.

"Just for my baby for be better."

Olivia smiled softly.

"You should both try to get some rest. I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Liv?"

"Yea?"

"Thanks," he said with a worried smile.

"No problem," she said kissing Allie's forehead before she left.

A couple of hours later she returned to find Elliot sitting in the chair beside his daughter's hospital bed watching some Disney Princess cartoon and Allie had control of the remote. She smiled as she walked in and handed him the stack of paperwork he had called and asked her to pick up for him.

"Thanks. I figured this will at least give me something to concentrate on when all I can do is sit here."

"I also brought lunch and some stuff for her."

Elliot leaned forward in an attempt to see into her bag as she pulled out a couple of coloring books, crayons, Allie's night light from her bedroom and an old tee shirt of hers.

"Good thinking," he replied examining the items once more.

"I also brought a change of clothes for you and I," she replied allowing the strap of the duffel bag to slip from her shoulder and dropping it into the floor.

"If your clothes are in that bag, then what is this shirt for?" he asked unfolding Olivia's very worn NYPD tee shirt.

"That's Allie's favorite shirt to sleep in. It used to be one of my favorite work out shirts, but have not worn it in years. She loves it. I thought she might rest a little better if this place felt a little more like home," she replied plugging in the purple butterfly nightlight across the room. "You know, make it a little more comfortable and less scary."

"You always think of everything. And I am busy freaking out."

"I'm freaking out, too, El. This is just how I keep myself from going crazy while I freak out. It's sort of a nesting thing, I guess. When I am scared or in situations where I feel helpless, this sort of gives me something I can control. I feel helpful."

"You are very helpful. Sometimes I think you are better at this parenting stuff than I am."

"It's a lot of work," she said shaking her head. "You are her entire world. And she is yours. I don't know if I could do that all of the time."

Elliot smiled.

"You already do. I may be her father, Olivia, but you have done just as much parenting for this child as I have. I don't know what either of us would have done without you. We both depend on you much more than I ever anticipated going into this. And you are always here for us both."

"You are my family, El. You and Allie," she said with a soft smile.

Nobody got any sleep that night. No one that is, except for Allie, who seemed to be more impressed with the thought of sleeping in a bed with a remote control than scared of having surgery the next morning. Elliot sat in a dark corner of the room sipping coffee and worrying all night. While Olivia, on the other hand, curled up on the little sofa watching old "I Love Lucy" reruns and reading a novel on her Kindle.

"How is she doing?" Olivia asked raising her head around 4 am and realizing that she had dozed off.

"She's fine," Elliot replied kissing the little girl on the forehead. "I just wanted to make sure she's warm enough. She kicked her blankets off again."

Olivia smiled.

"She does that all night," she replied. "She's gonna be okay, you know? This surgery is really common in kids her age."

"I know. It is just so damn scary. She is my baby. And tomorrow morning that doctor is going to take her in there and fill her full of drugs to knock her out, then go in and cut parts of her out."

Olivia sat down beside him and placed her hand over his squeezing it tight.

"Don't you have court in the morning?" he asked.

"Absolutely not. Cragen took care of it for me. Fin worked that case, too. So he's gonna cover for me. The only place I am going to be tomorrow is right here with you."

"You should get some rest."

"I'm good. I'll sleep when you sleep," she said softly. "Meanwhile, I believe it is my turn to make a coffee run."

Elliot smiled a tired smile as she pulled a few dollar bills from her purse and disappeared into the hallway.

"God, please let her be alright," he said softly choking back tears as he kissed Allie's little hand.

He smiled as he inspected the purple glitter nail polish on her tiny fingernails. Then he laughed a little remembering back a couple of weeks at how excited she was to show him when he got home. Olivia had taken the child along for a mani/pedi at the spa and Allie had so much fun.

"Purple," he said raising his head as Olivia handed him a cup of coffee.

"It is her favorite color," Olivia reminded him. "She spent the entire time they were doing my nails trying to decide between two shades. She had a blast."

"She always does with Aunt Liv."

"She's my girl," Olivia whispered with tears in her eyes.

"Listen, there is something important I have been meaning to talk to you about," he said sitting back on the sofa across the room and patting the empty seat beside him."

"Shoot," Olivia replied curling up at the other end and taking a sip of her coffee.

"I have been thinking about the way things went down the other day when you brought her in here."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. But something could have been. If it had been a real emergency, we would have been in trouble. They would not have treated Allie or taken her in for surgery, because by law you are not authorized to give permission for stuff like that."

Olivia stared at him.

"It scares me to think that this could have been something a lot worse. And if you hadn't been able to reach me or if it had taken me a while to get here, they would have withheld treatment. Liv, in some situations seconds can mean the difference between life and death. I trust you. I trust you with my life and I trust you with my daughter's life. I know that you are the only person in the world who could possibly love Allie as much as I do. And I know that you would do absolutely anything for her. And that you always have her best interest at heart."

"Yes," she agreed.

"Olivia, I am going to make a call first thing in the morning. I want my lawyer to draw up the papers."

"What papers?"

"I want him to draw up papers stating that you have legal parental rights over Allie as well."

"Elliot," Olivia said as her jaw dropped.

"Please just let me get this out. The papers will not only name you as her legal guardian so you can make medical decisions if anything should ever come up, but they will also name you as her Godmother. That way I know that if anything should ever happen to me…."

"Elliot," Olivia replied shaking her head with tears in her eyes."

"No. This is important. I need to know that she will be taken care of if anything should happen. I'm not planning on anything happening," he said choking out a laugh to lighten the mood. "I just want to know, God help me, that if I cannot raise my child, she will go to the only other person who loves her as much as I do. We talked about this before, when she was little and I never got around to having the papers drawn up. But I am her father, her parent and it is my job think of everything. Like what will happen to her when I am not around to take care of her anymore. Please, Liv. I know talking about this makes you uncomfortable. Trust me, it makes me uncomfortable, too. But this is important. Probably the single most important decision I will ever make for my daughter. I have to know that she will be taken care of. I have to know that she wont end up an orphan and just be dumped off in the foster care system spending the rest of her life all alone. Please promise me. Promise me that if anything happens to me, you will take her. Promise me that you will take her and raise her like she was your own."

"Of course. Elliot, I would never let them put Allie in foster care."

"Just sign the papers," he said with a smile.

Olivia smiled and nodded in agreement.

"But if anything happens to you, I will kick your ass," she replied hitting him in the shoulder.

"Deal," he laughed as he shook her hand.

The next morning Elliot's lawyer arrived bright and early. The sat at a table in the corner of the hospital room as he walked them through the papers and Allie watched cartoons. Olivia smiled watching as Elliot signed his name to the papers and handed her the pen. She looked over her shoulder at the most beautiful child God ever created, then lowered the pen and put her signature on every line.

A few hours later Elliot held his daughter's hand as her little eyes grew heavy and she finally fell asleep.

"Sleep tight, angel," Olivia said watching as he kissed his baby girl's hand and they wheeled her down the hallway.

"She's in good hands, daddy," the nurse reminded him. "We just happen have one of the nation's best pediatric surgeons who just transferred in a few weeks ago and he is on your daughter's case. Normally, a this procedure is performed by a general surgeon. But your baby girl, landed herself a specialist."

"That's a good thing, right?" Olivia asked nervously.

"That is a very good thing," the nurse assured them.

"We often ask family members of surgical patients to donate blood," the nurse suggested.

"You think she's going to need blood?" Elliot asked with a worried look.

"We like to have it on hand just in case. And if Allie doesn't need it, we can always use it in our blood bank. Would you be interested in making a donation today?"

"Sure," Elliot agreed.

They followed the nurse down the hallway and she handed him a clipboard of papers to fill out.

"It isn't that bad," Olivia said watching Elliot wince as the needle was inserted into his arm.

"You can say that because you don't have a fifteen year old drilling holes in your arm. She couldn't even find the vein," he replied.

"I am sure she is older than that."

"Well she doesn't look it."

"Relax, you big baby," Olivia laughed. "It's just a little blood. And it can help to save someone's life," she reminded him.

Half an hour later another nurse approached Elliot.

"Mr. Stabler, can I have a word with you?" she asked looking over the paperwork he had given her.

"Is there a problem?"

"It's about the blood you donated…."

"There is a problem with my blood? They said they just wanted it incase they needed to give it to my daughter. Can she still use it?"

"Mr. Stabler, I can't give your daughter this blood."

"Is it bad? I could give you more."

"There isn't anything wrong with it."

"Then what is the problem?"

"The blood, your blood….it is type B positive ."

"Yes."

"Sir, according to the lab workup we did on your daughter before surgery, her blood type is A positive."

Elliot was stunned for a moment, as he backed up and sat down.

"I'm O positive," Olivia said looking at the nurse. "You can give her my blood."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied then turned and disappeared down the hall once more.

"I know you wanted to do this to help Allie, but it isn't that big a deal, El."

"She's A positive," he mumbled.

"She probably got it from her mother," Olivia said placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Kathy was also B positive. We used to donate together when we were married," he said with a smirk. "It was important to her. She was a real humanitarian. We had the same blood type."

"What does that mean?" Olivia asked feeling a knot in her throat and fearing the answer.

"It means that there is no possible way I could be Allie's biological father," he replied looking up at her with tears in his eyes.

Olivia squeezed his shoulder as Elliot cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry," he said as he stood up and smoothed his hands over his face. "I just need a few minutes."

"Of course," she agreed.

Then she watched as he walked away. She wandered around the halls for a while, wasting time…giving him time. Time to adjust and to think. To let it all sink in. To wrap his mind around the fact that his daughter is not his daughter. To adjust to the fact that the baby in the basket was not really his. To let it sink in that the little girl he built his entire world around is not really his little girl.

She exhaled and made her way to the cafeteria. There she bought two cups of coffee and a piece of carrot cake with two plastic forks. There was no way this was going to even make a dent at righting the wrongs of the day, but comfort food always seemed to make her feel at least a little bit better. And on a day like today it was her duty as Elliot's best friend and Allie's Godmother to do everything she could to help them through this hard time.

Olivia stopped just outside Allie's room and watched Elliot inside as he sat next to the hospital bed waiting for the little girl to wake up.

She placed her palm against the glass and exhaled.

"God, please let her be okay," she said softly.

"She is going to be just fine," a voice said from behind her.

Olivia turned to see a tall and very attractive man in a white coat.

"You are her doctor?" she asked.

"Yes. And she came through the surgery with flying colors. I just updated daddy. She should wake up shortly. I want to keep her for a few days to make sure she doesn't have any bad reactions to the anesthesia and to monitor for signs of infection. She will pretty much be on a Jell-O and ice cream diet for the next few days and we will want to make sure she gets plenty of fluids."

"She is going to be alright?" Olivia asked with a smile.

"She is going to be just fine."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"You are very welcome, Olivia."

She paused for a moment then looked up at him.

"Wait, how do you know my name?"

He smiled and incredibly sexy smile.

"You don't remember me?"

She was quiet, desperately trying to think of where she could have possibly known him from. Surely she would remember a man this….hot.

"Hot," she mumbled aloud without realizing it.

"My friends call me Vincent," he laughed. "Hot Doc, was a joke."

"Vincent? Vincent Reid?" she asked suddenly realizing what she was talking about.

"Dr. Vincent Reid."

"From the speed dating place."

"Not one of my finer moments, by yes."

Olivia laughed.

"Well, Dr. Vincent Reid," she replied with a smile, "you fixed my Goddaughter. That makes you a Rock Star in my book."

"Thanks," he laughed.

"I mean it. You are my new hero."

"So does that mean you might consider having dinner with me sometime?"

"What?" she asked caught completely off guard.

"Well, your friend said you don't date doctors. I was hoping maybe you didn't have any rules against Rock Stars and hero's."

Olivia laughed.

"What did he say?"

"I asked him if you were single. I didn't notice a wedding ring. And he told me that you don't date doctors. Is that still true?"

"Um, no. No, it is not true. Any…anymore. It's kind of an outdated policy," she stuttered.

She watched as he smiled.

"Okay. So, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"

"Yea," she replied smiling uncontrollably.

"Yea? How about one day next week?"

"I would love to."

"Alright," he said pulling a prescription note pad from the pocket of his white coat and scribbling his number on it, "it is now in your hands. Here is my number. Call me and we will work out the details."

"I will," she said as he gave her a nod then turned and walked away. "A doctor?" she whispered to herself as she stared at the note. "Allie's doctor," she reminded herself.

She stepped into the room and watched Elliot watching protectively over Allie.

"Hey you," she said softly as she offered him a cup of coffee.

"The doctor said she is going to be okay."

"That is great," she replied sitting down beside him and handing him a fork.

"Then he asked you for your phone number."

Olivia laughed.

"She is your daughter, El."

"Olivia…"

"No. She is your daughter and you are her father. The only father she has ever known. DNA….DNA doesn't matter, Elliot. She is your entire world and you are hers. That is what matters. You love each other. And that is all that matters."

"Yea," he replied taking a bite of cake. "That is incredible, by the way."

"I'm a comfort eater," she confessed. "Cake always makes me feel better."

"You really can't go wrong with cake and coffee," Elliot agreed.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. She has a right to know. Not now, she is too young. But when she is older, she has the right to know the truth about who she is."

"You are going to try and figure out who her biological father is?" Olivia said softly.

"I know it is the right thing to do for Allie. It is what I should do as a father for my daughter. But…"

"But?"

"I don't know. Maybe I am just selfish. Part of me doesn't want to find him. Part of me doesn't want to care who he is."

Olivia studied the look in his eyes.

"What if he wants her, Liv? What if I find him and he decided that she is his daughter and he wants custody of her? What if he takes her away from me?"

"Can he do that?"

"All it takes it the right judge and a paternity test. I could lose her. Forever. I may never see her again."

"What are you gonna do?" she asked softly.

Elliot exhaled.

"Right now, I am gonna eat cake. And wait for my beautiful little girl to wake up and ask for her daddy," he replied and Olivia closed her eyes fighting back tears.

"What are you gonna do?"

"About what?"

Elliot smiled.

"About Hot Doc?"

Olivia smiled and took a deep breath.

"I am gonna have dinner with him."

"Really?"

"Yes. It is against everything I stand for….but the way I see it I am not doing so great out in the dating world with my current standards anyway. Besides, it is just one dinner. What could it hurt?"

"You might actually like him if you can look past the whole sexy doctor thing."

Olivia laughed.

"Seriously though," Elliot replied, "he seems like a really good guy."

"He does, doesn't he?" she asked taking another bite of cake.

"And honey, if anyone deserves a good guy it is you."

"You are so sweet, El," she said hugging his arm and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Especially after some of the jerks you have dated."

Olivia laughed.

"They were jerks. And losers."

"Not even in your league. Remember comb over guy?"

"Oh my gosh, I had almost forgotten about him. I cannot believe he actually thought that looked good."

"I cannot believe you actually dated him."

"It was a blind date. I had no idea how….unique this individual was before I met up with him for dinner."

"And the second date? When you made Casey and I go together because you didn't want to be alone with him?"

"I felt really bad for the guy."

Elliot smiled.

"What?" she asked as he shook his head.

"We really have been through it all together," he replied.

"Yea, we have," she said as he took her hand in his and locked their fingers together.

"For better or worse," Elliot said with a smile.

"Through thick and thin," she added.

"Best friends, forever."

"Forever," she agreed with a smile.


End file.
